* 


t 


Mrs.  Anabel  Major  Nisbet  Rev.  John  Samuel  Nisbet 


©aj>  3n  ani)  ©aj>  (Out 
in  Itorea 


Being  some  account  of  the  mission 
work  that  has  been  carried  on  in 
Korea  since  1892  by  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  the  United  States. 


By 

Mrs.  Anabel  Major  Nisbet 

FOR  TWELVE  YEARS  A MISSIONARY 
TO  KOREA 


LIBRARY  OF  PRINCETON 

r ~ * f 

FEB  y 2008 

.THEOLOGICAL  seminary 

PUBLISHED  BY 

Presbyterian  Committee  of  Publication 

RICHMOND,  VA.— TEXARKANA,  ARK. -TEXAS 


WHITTET  a SHEPPERSON. 


PRINTERS 


RICHMOND,  VA. 


Uebtcation 

Some  have  the  Enthusiasm  to  Begin  Great  Things. 

Others  have  the  Faith  and  Courage  both  to  Begin  and  to  Carry  On. 

TO 

)t  Jfattfjful  pioneer  Jilanb  of  gbebert  (KSfjo  J^abe 
3£ot  jfaltcreb 

This  Book  is  Affectionately  Inscribed 

by 

GTfje  gutfjor 


The  Pioneers 

Miss  Linnie  Davis  (Mrs.  Y/.  B.  Harrison) 
Rev.  Wm.  M.  Junkin 
Mrs.  Wm.  M.  Junkin 
Rev.  W.  D.  Reynolds,  D.  D. 

Mrs.  W.  D.  Reynolds, 

Miss  Mattie  S.  Tate 
Rev.  L.  B.  Tate. 


QTfje  Pioneers;* 

Mrs.  Mattie  Ingold  Tate. 

We  tell  of  the  Band  that  first  crossed  the  wide  waters, 

To  bring  the  glad  tidings  to  the  land  of  Chosen, 

The  message  of  love  to  those  lost  sons  and  daughters, 

Who  knew  not  redemption’s  sweet  story  till  then. 

The  Band  was  of  seven — the  perfect  in  number — 

And  bright  were  their  hopes  as  they  came  to  this  shore. 

They  prayed  and  they  planned  and  no  ground  did  they  cumber, 
But  sowed  by  all  waters  the  good  seed  from  their  store. 

Miss  Davis,  the  first  one  to  reach  Chemulpo, 

Was  first,  too,  in  every  good  labor  of  love; 

The  first  on  errands  of  mercy  to  go, 

And  first  to  be  called  to  His  service  above. 

Mr.„Junkin,  the  saintly,  abundant  in  labors, 

And  happy  in  speech,  with  a heart  full  of  love, 

Let  many  blind  souls  to  light  and  the  Savior, 

Before  he  was  taken  for  service  above. 

Mrs.  Junkin  was  with  him,  so  dear  and  devoted, 

So  helpful  to  all  and  a mother  so  true; 

Though  now  in  the  homeland,  we  know  she  still  loves  us, 

And  prays  for  our  work  unceasingly,  too. 

Then  too,  Dr.  Reynolds,  the  learned  translator, 

Has  labored  to  publish  the  life-giving  Word, 

By  lip  and  by  page,  with  noble  devotion, 

Has  he  given  the  message  which  thousands  have  heard. 

Mrs.  Reynolds,  so  ready  with  love  and  devotion, 

To  help  in  the  work  which  they  came  out  to  do, 

Has  well  done  her  part,  and  with  little  commotion, 

Has  made  herself  useful,  and  well  beloved,  too. 

Mr.  Tate  is  well  known  to  our  friends  of  today, 

And  his  locks  have  grown  grey,  but  not  aged  his  heart. 

He’s  up  early  and  off  o’er  the  hills  far  away, 

Ever  faithful  and  ready  to  do  his  full  part. 

Miss  Tate,  though  named  last,  is  not  least  in  endeavor, 

But  all  through  the  years  has  done  her  full  share,. 

With  visits  and  classes  and  journeys  wherever 
There  were  souls  she  could  win  for  the  Mansions  up  there. 

Still  with  us  are  four,  and  two  are  in  heaven, 

And  one  in  the  home-land  our  pathway  still  cheers, 

We  love  and  we  honor  this  first  Band  of  seven, 

And  pray  God’s  rich  blessing  attend  our  pioneers. 

* Composed  for  the  25th  anniversary  of  our  Korea  Mission, 


Contents 

Page 

“The  Pioneers”  6 

Preface  11 

I.  The  Preparation  (1892-1899) 13 

II.  The  Seed  Sowing  (1899-1905) 43 

III.  The  Great  Ingathering  (1905-1912) 75 

IV.  Sifting  the  Wheat  (1912-1919) 109 

V.  Korean  Faith  in  Action 137 

VI.  The  Outlook  (1919) 165 

Our  Missionaries  to  Korea 191 

Index  194 


(7) 


0S& 


Korea,  our  Mission  in  lower  left-hand  corner. 


Mu$trattong 


Page 

1.  Rev.  and  Mrs.  John  S.  Nisbet Frontispiece 

2.  Korea  Missions,  Map 8 

3.  Our  Korea  Mission,  Chart 10 

4.  The  Pioneers:  Rev.  William  Davis  Reynolds,  Mrs.  Patsy 

Bolling  Reynolds,  Miss  Mattie  S.  Tate,  Mrs.  Mary 
Leyburn  Junkin,  Rev.  William  McCleery  Junkin,  Rev. 
Lewis  Boyd  Tate,  Miss  Linnie  Davis 12 

5.  Three  Scenes  at  Chunju 22 

6.  Mrs.  Yu  28 

7.  Rev.  C.  G.  Kim 28 

8.  John-Abelle  Apartments  37 

9.  Heathen  Family — Christian  Family 46 

10.  Market  Scene  in  Korea 50 

11.  Three  Views  of  Mokpo 56 

12.  Theological  Students,  Pyeng  Yang 81 

13.  Women’s  Mid-Winter  Bible  Class,  Chunju 87 

14.  Three  Views  of  Soonchun 96 

15.  Bible  Study,  A Chart 98 

16.  Three  More  Views  of  Soonchun 108 

17.  Four  Views  of  Kwangju 122 

18.  Korean  General  Assembly,  1918 130 

19.  Bible  Conference,  Quelpart  Island 132 

20.  Teachers,  Mary  Baldwin  School,  Kunsan 136 

21.  Rev.  and  Mrs.  K.  P.  Yi  and  Family 140 

22.  Rev.  C.  I.  Yi 140 

23.  McCutchen  Memorial  Bible  School,  Chunju,  1919 143 

24.  Going  to  Market 153 

25.  Our  Korea  Mission,  1919,  Picture 159 

26.  Country  School,  Chunju  169 

27.  Two  Kunsan  Views 176 

28.  Korean  Medical  Assistants,  Kunsan 180 


(9) 


OUR  CHOSEN  (KOREA)  MISSION 

1892— TWENTY-EIGHT  YEARS— 1920 


CHUNJU,  1896 

REV.  AND  MRS.  L.  B.  TATE 

MISS  MATTIES.  TATE 

REV.  AND  MRS.  L.  O.  McCUTClIEN 

REV.  AND  MRS.  W.  M.  CLARK 

REV.  AND  MRS.  YV.  D.  REYNOLDS 

MISS  SUSANNA  A.  COLTON 

REV.  S.  D.  WINN 

MISS  EMILY  WINN 

MISSE.  E.  KESTLER 

MISS  LILLIAN  AUSTIN 

MR.  AND  MRS.  F.  M.  EVERSOLE 

MISS  SADIE  BUCK,LAND 

KUNSAN,  1896 

REV.  AND  MRS.  WM.  F.  BULL 

M ISS  J ULIA  DYSART 

DR.  AND  MRS.  J.  B.  PATTERSON 

REV.  JOHN  McEACHERN 

MR.  WM.  A.  LINTON 

MISS  LAVALETTE  DUPUY 

REV.  AND  MRS.  W.  B.  HARRISON 

MISS  LILLIE  O.  LATHROP 

REV.  D.  JAS.  CUMMING 

MISS  WILLIE  B.  GREEN 

SOONCHUN,  1913 

REV.  AND  MRS.  J.  F.  PRESTON 
REV.  AND  MRS.  R.  T.  COIT 
MISS  META  L.  BIGGAR 
MISS  ANNA  L.  GREER 
REV.  AND  MRS.  J.  C.  CRANE 
DR.  AND  MRS.  J.  McL.  ROGERS 


KWANGJU,  1898 

REV.  EUGENE  BELL 

REV.  S.  K.  DODSON 

MISS  MARY  DODSON 

MRS.  C.  C.  OWEN 

MISS  ELLA  GRAHAM 

DR.  AND  MRS.  R.  M.  WILSON 

MISS  ANNA  McQUEEN 

REV.  AND  MRS.  J.  V.  N.  TALMACK 

REV.  AND  MRS.  ROBERT  KNOX 

MR.  AND  MRS.  M.  L.  SWINEIIART 

MISS  ESTHER  B.  MATTHEWS 

MISS  ELIZABETH  WALKER 

MOKPO,  1898 

REV.  AND  MRS.  H.  D.  McCALLIE 

MISS  JULIA  MARTIN 

REV.  AND  MRS.  J.  S.  NISBET 

MISS  ADA  McMURPHY 

DR.  AND  MRS.  R.  S.  LEADINGHAM 

REV.  AND  MRS.  L.  T.  NEWLAND 


UNION  WORK 

MISS  ELISE  J.  SHEPPING 

SEOUL 

MR.  AND  MRS.  WM.  P.  PARKER 
MR.  J.  B.  REYNOLDS 

PYENG  YANG 


Our  Fields  2,651,000  Souls 


OUR  FORCE— 

FOREIGN  WORKERS 70 

NATIVE  WORKERS 304 

CHURCH  MEMBERS 7,073 

SCHOOLS 79 

STUDENTS 1,864 

SUNDAY  SCHOOLS 241 

SCHOLARS  8,612 


OUR  EQUIPMENT- 

HOSPITAL  plants 5 

SCHOOL  PLANTS 10 

MISSIONARIES’ RESIDENCES  .32 


A NUMBER  OF  MISCELLANEOUS 
BUILDINGS  USED  IN  THE  WORK. 
TOTAL  ESTIMATED  VALUE  OF 
PROPERTY  IN  GOLD $233,978 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 
Executive  committee  of  foreign  missions 

NASHVILLE.  TENNESSEE 


EDUCATIONAL  DEPARTMENT 


preface 


SOME  are  born  to  authorship,  some  achieve  authorship,  and 
some  have  it  thrust  upon  them,  and  the  writer  of  this 
book  belongs  to  the  last  class.  When  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee asked  me  to  undertake  the  history  of  the  Korean  work  for 
the  last  twenty-five  years,  I felt  my  inability  so  keenly,  that  I 
tried  vainly  to  pass  the  task  on  to  some  of  our  Pioneer  workers. 

But  I want  to  tel!  each  reader  of  the  book,  how  much  I have 
enjoyed  writing  it.  I forgot  I was  writing  a book,  as  I thought 
how  you  had  held  the  ropes  for  us  all  these  years  in  love  and 
faith  and  prayer,  and  made  possible  our  going  down  into  the 
dark  mines  of  superstition  and  demon  worship.  Forgive  me  if 
I forgot  the  editorial  “We”  and  just  talked  out  my  heart  to  you, 
for  indeed  you  seemed  very  near  to  me. 

I want  to  express  my  thanks  for  the  generous  help  received 
from  many  members  of  our  own  Mission,  in  furnishing  pictures 
and  incidents  for  the  book.  I give  grateful  acknowledgment  for 
the  material  used  from  the  Quarter  Centennial  papers  of  both  the 
Presbyterian  Churches  U.  S.  A.  and  U.  S. 

ANABEL  MAJOR  NISBET. 

Mokpo,  Korea,  November,  1919. 


Note.  On  account  of  Mrs.  Nisbet’s  being  in  Korea,  and  thus 
making  it  impossible  to  confer  with  her,  special  appreciation  is 
due  to  the  following  informal  committee  who  have  carefully  read 
the  manuscript,  and  made  helpful  suggestions:  Mrs.  W.  B.  Ram- 

say, North  Carolina;  Miss  Mamie  McElwee,  North  Carolina;  Mrs. 
Chris  G.  Dullnig,  Texas;  Miss  Carrie  Lee  Campbell,  Virginia; 
Miss  Aline  McKenzie,  North  Carolina;  Mrs.  A.  D.  Mason,  Ten- 
nessee; Mrs.  J.  W.  Bruce,  Alabama;  Mrs.  Alma  Sydenstricker, 
Georgia;  Mrs.  M.  D.  Irvine,  Kentucky;  Miss  Eva  M.  Cavers,  Mis- 
souri; Rev.  Eugene  Bell,  D.  D.,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  F.  M.  Eversole,  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  J.  F.  Preston,  at  home  from  Korea  on  furlough;  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  A.  Venable,  Asheville,  N.  C.  J.  I.  A. 


THE  PIONEERS 
Rev.  William  Davis  Reynolds 
Mrs.  Patsy  Bolling  Reynolds  Miss  Mattie  S.  Tate 

Mrs.  Mary  Leyburn  Junkin 

Rev.  William  McCleery  Junkin,  Rev.  Lewis  Boyd  Tate 
Miss  Linnie  Davis 


CHAPTER  I. 

®f)e  preparation 


(1892-1899) 


CHAPTER  I. 


®be  preparation 


1.  The  Beginning: 

(1)  First  Scripture  Distributed, 

(2)  First  Presbyterian  Missionary, 

(3)  Our  Pioneer  Band  of  Seven. 

2.  First  Two  Years: 

(1)  Spent  in  Seoul, 

(2)  Presbyterian  Council, 

(3)  First  Visit  to  Chunju, 

(4)  Miss  Tate’s  Trip  to  Chunju, 

( 5)  Tong-Hak  Rebellion, 

(6)  Southern  Exploring  Trip. 

3.  Chunju  Station  Opened. 

4.  Kunsan  Station  Opened. 

5.  First  Chunju  Baptisms: 

(1)  C.  G.  Kim, 

(2)  Mrs.  Yu, 

6.  Bible  Translation. 

7.  House-Building: 

(1)  Korean  Houses, 

(2)  An-pang, 

(3)  Seclusion  of  Women, 

(4)  Missionary  Homes, 

(5)  Chunju  Houses, 

(6)  Manual  Labor. 


8.  Occidental  versus  Oriental. 


CHAPTER  I. 


®1 ]t  preparation 

(1892-1899) 

“In  the  beginning  God.” — Gen.  1:1.  In  our  work  in  Korea, 
we  tried  to  put  God  where  His  Book  puts  Him,  “In  the  beginning.” 

First  Seed  Sowing. — Korea  has  been  called  the  “Land 
of  the  Morning  Calm,”  but  I have  often  thought  a better 
name  would  be,  “The  Land  of  the  Midnight  Storm.” 
Twice  in  the  last  twenty-five  years  Korean  hills  have  re- 
sounded with  the  shots  of  hostile  armies,  as  great  nations 
contended  for  supremacy.  “The  blood  of  the  martyrs  is 
the  seed  of  the  church,”  and  the  first  Protestant  mission- 
ary to  enter  Korea,  gave  his  life  on  the  banks  of  the 
Taidong  River.  A Scotch  Presbyterian,  Rev.  Mr.  Thomas, 
was  a colporteur  of  the  Scotch  Bible  Society,  and  in  1865, 
he  came  to  Pyengyang  on  the  “General  Sherman.”  This 
ill-fated  vessel  approached  the  Korean  shores  in  Septem- 
ber, and  despite  numerous  warnings  sailed  up  the  Taidong 
River  as  far  as  Pyengyang.  This  was  possible  only  because 
the  river  was  swollen  by  heavy  rains.  It  looked  to  the 
people  of  the  then  Hermit  Nation  that  the  Americans  had 
come  to  take  forcible  possession  of  their  country,  and  or- 
ders were  given  for  the  destruction  of  all  on  board.  She 
was  burned  and  her  crew  and  passengers  were  massacred 
as  they  came  on  shore.  The  anchor  chains  of  the  ill-fated 
General  Sherman  were  taken  as  trophies  of  victory  and 
hung  in  triumph  over  the  East  Gate  of  Pyengyang.  They 
hang  there,  mementos  of  America’s  first  and  only  attempt 
to  enter  Korea  by  the  sword  of  steel.  But  on  this  same 
ship  Mr.  Thomas  brought  another  sword,  “The  Sword  of 
the  Spirit,  which  is  the  Word  of  God,”  and  while  he  gave 
his  life  for  the  Master,  he  gave  the  Master’s  life  to  Korea; 
for  we  find  that  in  Pyengyang,  the  place  of  miracles  in 


i6 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


modern  missions,  one  of  the  first  men  received  into  the 
catechumenate  had  in  his  home  a New  Testament  received 
from  Mr.  Thomas.  Though  Americans  may  blush  when 
they  see  the  emblems  of  the  defeat  of  the  sword  of  steel ; 
the  sword  of  the  Spirit  has  won  many  a victory  and 
brought  great  joy  to  the  American  missionary  and  his 
home  church. 

Presbyterian  Pioneer. — In  1884  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Horace 
N.  Allen,  of  the  Northern  Presbyterian  Board,  came  to 
Korea  as  the  first  Protestant  missionaries  to  take  up 
work.  Owing  to  certain  foreign  complications  which  Ko- 
rea had  experienced  because  of  the  presence  of  the  French 
Catholic  priests,  some  of  whom  had  suffered  martyrdom, 
Dr.  Allen  came  ostensibly  as  a physician  to  the  foreigners. 
Three  months  after  their  arrival  in  Seoul,  at  a banquet 
given  in  honor  of  the  opening  of  the  new  post-office,  an 
attempt  was  made  to  assassinate  Prince  Min  Yong  Ik, 
who  had  recently  returned  from  a mission  to  America. 
A man  who  had  travelled  across  the  Pacific  Ocean  might 
be  supposed  to  be  in  favor  of  anything  as  wildly  pro- 
gressive as  a post-office;  so  this  assassination  was  a de- 
termined attempt  of  the  conservative  party  to  blot  out  ail 
new  thought.  But  fortunately  just  as  the  native  doctors 
were  preparing  to  pour  black  pitch  into  the  wounds,  Dr. 
Allen  arrived,  having  been  summoned  by  the  Secretary  of 
our  Legation.  Dr.  Allen  treated  the  Prince  so  successfully 
that  he  was  made  physician  to  the  Royal  Household,  and 
two  months  later,  in  February,  1885,  the  Royal  Korean 
Hospital  in  Seoul  was  opened  by  the  King’s  Decree,  with 
Dr.  Allen  in  charge.  And  so  God’s  Word,  which  brought 
light  to  those  who  sat  in  darkness,  came  to  the  Land  of 
the  Morning  Calm  first  through  the  martyred  Scotch  col- 
porteur on  the  banks  of  the  Taidong  River ; and  Protestant 
Christianity  found  its  entering  wedge  when  Dr.  Allen,  in 
the  midst  of  a scene  of  bloodshed  and  terror,  came  with 
his  surgical  skill  and  knowledge  of  the  Great  Physician. 


THE  PREPARATION 


17 


Rev.  Horace  G.  Underwood  came  to  reinforce  Dr.  Allen 
in  1885,  and  that  same  year  the  Northern  Methodists  sent 
their  pioneer  band  to  begin  work  in  the  Hermit  Nation. 

Southern  Presbyterian  Mission. — Whether  true  or  not 
that  “Matches  are  made  in  Heaven,”  surely  it  is  no  mis- 
take to  say  that  missions  originate  in  the  mind  of  the 
Master  Missionary.  But  humanly  speaking,  the  origin  of 
the  Southern  Presbyterian  Mission  in  Korea  can  be  traced 
back  to  two  sources,  one  in  the  McCormick  Seminary  of 
Chicago,  and  one  in  the  Union  Theological  Seminary  of 
Virginia.  Probably  these  two  sources  again  find  a com- 
mon fountain  head  in  Dr.  Horace  G.  Underwood,  who  vis- 
ited both  institutions  and  with  telling  eloquence  and  tire- 
less enthusiasm,  presented  the  claims  of  Korea  as  a vir- 
gin, or  should  I say  “hermit?,”  mission  field. 

In  the  fall  of  1891,  Mr.  L.  B.  Tate,  of  McCormick,  and 
Messrs.  Wm.  M.  Junkin,  W.  D.  Reynolds  and  Cameron 
Johnson,  of  Union,  were  all  four  volunteers  from  the 
Senior  class  for  the  Foreign  Mission  field.  Mr.  Tate  was 
the  first  of  the  four  to  apply  to  our  Executive  Committee 
to  be  sent  to  Korea.  The  committee  asked  him  to  select 
some  other  field,  as  they  had  neither  money,  men  nor 
mind  to  open  a new  work  in  an  unknown  land.  The 
other  three  students,  who  were  intimate  friends,  were 
looking  forward  to  China  as  their  chosen  field  of  work. 

There  were  at  the  same  time  four  elect  ladies  greatlp 
interested  in  Missions, — two  of  them  especially  interested 
in  missionaries  elected  by  themselves.  These  four  ladies 
had  never  seen  each  other.  Their  names  were  Miss  Mattie 
S.  Tate,  of  Fulton,  Mo.;  Miss  Linnie  Davis,  of  Abingdon, 
Va. ; Miss  Mary  Leyburn,  of  Lexington,  Va.,  and  Miss 
Patsy  Bolling,  of  Richmond,  Va.  Miss  Tate  naturally 
wanted  to  go  to  the  field  with  her  brother;  Miss  Leyburn 
and  Miss  Bolling  had  said  to  Messrs.  Junkin  and  Reynolds, 
respectively,  “Where  thou  goest  I will  go,”  and  Miss 
Davis  was  hoping  to  go  to  Africa. 


i8 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


The  story  of  how  an  unwilling  and  moneyless  Execu- 
tive Committee  was  brought  to  the  point  of  starting  a 
work  in  Korea,  composed  of  seven  persons  widely  scat- 
tered, for  the  most  part  unacquainted,  and  with  prefer- 
ences for  three  different  fields,  is  told  briefly  in  three 
words — Opportunity,  Importunity,  Contributions. 

Opportunity. — The  first  opportunity  brought  about  by 
the  providence  of  God,  was  the  meeting  of  the  Inter-Semi- 
nary Missionary  Alliance  in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  in  Octo- 
ber, 1891.  Here  Messrs.  Tate  and  Reynolds,  being  dele- 
gates from  their  respective  seminaries,  met  for  the  first 
time.  Here,  too,  they  heard  two  noted  men  from  Korea; 
one,  the  Rev.  H.  G.  Underwood,  D.  D.,  on  his  first  fur- 
lough after  seven  years  of  wonderful  experience  as  the 
pioneer  ordained  missionary  of  Korea;  and  the  other, 
Prince  Yun  Chi  Ho,  an  exiled  young  Korean  Progressive, 
at  that  time  a student  in  the  University  of  Tennessee. 

A short  time  after  their  meeting,  Messrs.  Reynolds, 
Junkin  and  Cameron  Johnson  sent  in  their  applications, 
asking  to  be  sent  to  Korea,  but  received  the  same  answer 
that  Mr.  Tate  had  received,  that  it  was  impossible  at  that 
time  to  open  up  new  work.  Their  enthusiasm  was  not 
quenched,  however,  and  through  their  initiative,  it  was 
arranged  for  Dr.  Underwood  to  visit  some  of  the  churches 
of  Virginia,  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee,  telling  them 
of  the  work  in  the  Hermit  Nation. 

Importunity. — Prayer  began  in  1891,  but  is  unfinished 
still.  Deeply  impressed  with  the  fact  that  God  was  call- 
ing them  personally  to  go  to  Korea,  although  seemingly 
the  way  was  blocked,  Messrs.  Junkin  and  Reynolds  made 
it  a habit  to  meet  daily  for  united  prayer.  With  door  shut 
and  locked  they  poured  out  their  hearts  in  importunate 
petition  that  God  would  open  the  door  to  them  into  the 
Hermit  Nation.  They  had  faith  to  believe  that  in  due 
time,  perhaps  two  years,  God  would  answer  their  prayer 
and  permit  them  to  go.  Imagine  the  rebuke  to  their  little 


THE  PREPARATION 


19 


faith,  when  one  day,  about  two  months  after  their  applica- 
tion had  been  pigeon-holed,  the  two  friends  received  a tele- 
gram saying,  “Prepare  to  sail  in  August.”  Again  was 
the  promise  of  Matt.  18:19  fulfilled,  “If  two  of  you  shall 
agree  on  earth  as  touching  anything  that  they  shall  ask,  it 
shall  be  done  for  them  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.” 

Contributions. — These  were  two  kinds,  literary  and  fi- 
nancial. Through  articles  published  in  our  church  pa 
pers,  an  effort  had  been  made  to  create  a strong  sentiment 
in  favor  of  opening  work  in  Korea,  because  of  the  open 
mind  of  the  Korean  people. 

Then,  too,  our  Church  had  just  withdrawn  from  Greece, 
a little  country.  Why  not  enter  Korea  instead,  another 
little  country.  But  the  contribution  which  added  most 
was  a generous  gift  of  $2,000.00  from  Mr.  John  Under- 
wood, of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  brother  of  Dr.  Horace  G. 
Underwood.  Dr.  Underwood  added  his  personal  check 
for  $500.00.  This  was  the  large  beginning  of  numberless 
acts  of  kindness  shown  our  Mission  by  workers  from  our 
sister  Presbyterian  Church. 

Although  Mr.  Cameron  Johnson  did  not  become  one  of 
the  Pioneer  Band  of  Seven,  no  account  of  the  Mission 
would  be  just  or  complete  that  failed  to  record  his  active 
interest  not  only  in  the  initial  stages,  but  up  to  the  pres- 
ent moment;  for  by  stereopticon  and  facile  pen  Mr.  John- 
son is  rendering  valuable  aid  to  the  common  cause. 
Although  not  among  the  seven,  Mr.  Johnson  was  a pioneer 
among  the  pioneers,  landing  in  Korea  a month  in  advance 
of  the  party. 

Dixie. — It  was  thought  best  to  spend  the  first  two  years 
in  Seoul,  studying  the  language  and  customs  of  these 
strange  people  among  whom  they  had  come  to  work,  so 
Christmas  of  1892  found  our  Pioneer  Band  in  Seoul.  The 
Mission  purchased  a remodelled,  tile-roofed  Korean  house 
inside  the  West  Gate,  for  $1,500.00,  and  here  the  Junkin 
and  Reynolds  families  kept  house  together,  Miss  Davis 


20 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


boarding  with  them ; while  the  Tates  lived  in  a small  house 
in  the  yard.  This  place  was  called  “Dixie,”  as  it  was 
the  home  of  the  Southerners. 

Yang-ban. — In  those  early  days  of  helpless  ignorance 
of  language  and  customs  many  a funny  blunder  was  made ; 
as  for  instance,  Mr.  Junkin’s  exulting  over  getting  a load 
carried  cheap  because  he  was  a “Yang-ban,”  (gentleman), 
when  what  the  coolie  had  really  said  was  that  he  wanted 
a Nyang-ban,  or  six  sen  as  hire ; and  Mr.  Reynolds  polite- 
ly asked  his  teacher  to  eat  some  ashes,  when  he  meant  to 
offer  him  some  tea. 

Our  Field. — In  company  with  Northern  Presbyterian 
Missionaries  our  workers  made  several  trips  to  the  coun- 
try, while  the  ladies  gathered  the  children  into  their  homes 
and  taught  them,  and  made  visits  in  the  Korean  homes. 
In  February,  1893,  the  Presbyterian  Council  was  re-or- 
ganized, consisting  of  all  Presbyterian  workers  in  Korea, 
and  it  was  decided  to  allot  to  the  Southern  Presbyterians 
for  evangelization  the  three  southern  provinces  of  North 
and  South  Chulla,  and  South  Choong-chung.  Owing  to  a 
subsequent  lack  of  re-inforcements,  the  Mission  surrend- 
ered all  of  the  latter  province,  except  six  counties,  to  other 
Missions.  These  provinces  border  on  the  Yellow  Sea. 
North  and  South  Chulla  have  about  two  and  a half  million 
people  in  them,  and  are  called  the  “Granary  of  Korea.” 
The  land  consists  of  fertile  rice  plains,  although  you  are 
never  out  of  sight  of  the  mountains.  One  of  the  first 
questions  that  a Korean  asks  you  is,  “Do  the  mountains 
in  your  honorable  country  sit  together  as  closely  as  in 
ours?”;  and  truly  “Zion  stands  with  hills  surrounded,” 
for  while  some  might  disdain  to  call  these  hills  mountains, 
in  many  places  there  are  steep  mountain  passes,  and  every- 
where there  are  ranges  of  hills.  There  is  always  distance, 
openness,  sweep  to  a Korean  view  which  is  quite  a con- 
trast to  the  picturesque  coziness  of  almost  all  Japanese 
scenes. 


THE  PREPARATION  21 

First  Visit  to  Chunju. — In  September,  1893,  Messrs. 
Junkin  and  Tate  visited  Chunju,  the  capital  of  North 
Chulla.  They  made  the  trip  from  Seoul  on  Korean  ponies. 
In  true  eastern  fashion  their  bedding  and  baggage  had 
been  made  into  a pack  and  first  put  on  the  pony  and  then 
they  mounted  on  top  of  the  pack.  A ride  of  this  kind  has 
all  the  charms  of  a sea  voyage,  for  you  sway  at  the  will  of 
your  steed.  Much  has  been  written  of  the  Korean  pony, 
but  justice  will  never  be  fully  done  him  by  words.  He 
must  be  ridden  to  be  rightly  understood.  He  is  a little 
larger  than  the  Shetland  pony,  has  a will  all  his  own,  is 
wiry,  and  there  is  no  limit  to  his  endurance.  He  wiil 
carry  more  than  half  his  own  weight,  week  in  and  week 
out,  thirty-five  miles  a day.  He  differs  widely  from  the 
Japanese  horse  or  the  Manchurian  pony  and  appears  to 
be  a native  of  Korea, — unless  you  accept  the  old  Korean 
legend  that  when  three  sages  arose  from  a hole  in  the 
ground  in  the  island  of  Quelpart  three  thousand  years  ago, 
each  of  them  found  a chest  floating  in  from  the  south 
containing  a colt,  a calf,  a dog,  and  a wife. 

Messrs.  Tate  and  Junkin  found  Chunju,  which  was  to 
be  one  of  our  larger  centers  of  work,  a beautiful  walled 
city.  It  is  even  to  the  present  day  a very  conservative 
place,  as  it  was  once  the  home  of  some  members  of  the 
royal  family,  and  has  old  aristocratic  standards. 

In  their  walks  about  the  city  Messrs.  Junkin  and  Tate 
were  often  followed  by  crowds  of  small  boys  hooting  and 
yelling  and  throwing  stones  at  them.  In  November  of 
the  same  year,  Mr.  Tate  returned^and  spent  two  weeks  in 
Chunju. 

First  Woman  to  Visit  North  Chulla. — The  curiosity 
and  antagonism  of  the  people  seemed  to  have  calmed 
down  enough  for  Miss  Tate  to  come  down  with  Mr.  Tate 
in  the  spring  of  1894.  She  made  the  trip  from  Seoul  to 
Chunju  in  a Korean  chair.  This  consists  of  a little  four- 
posted  canopy  about  three  feet  square  by  four  feet  high, 


(i)  Graduating  Class,  Women’s  Bible  Institute,  Chunju;  (2)  First 
Students,  Women’s  Bible  School,  Chunju;  (3)  Baseball 
Team,  Boys’  School,  Chunju. 


THE  PREPARATION 


23 


carried  on  two  poles.  The  passenger  sits  on  the  floor  of 
the  box-like  chair,  and  there  are  curtains  to  screen  him 
from  view  and  keep  out  the  fresh  air.  Each  of  the  four 
carriers  has  a pair  of  suspenders  over  his  shoulders,  and 
through  loops  on  either  side  of  his  body  the  ends  of  the 
poles  pass.  If  you  can  sit  cross-legged  like  a Turk  and 
dispense  with  fresh  air,  and  don’t  object  to  your  coolies 
putting  you  down  in  the  middle  of  the  road  every  three 
miles,  while  they  go  to  get  a drink  and  take  a smoke,  it 
is  not  a disagreeable  way  to  travel,  and  you  can  make 
thirty-five  miles  in  a day.  When  I came  to  Korea  twelve 
years  ago,  it  was  still  the  way  most  of  the  women  traveled 
over  the  country.  But  the  last  ten  years  have  seen  won- 
derful changes  in  the  building  of  railroads,  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  automobile  and  the  bringing  in  of  the  Japanese 
“one-man  buggy,”  the  jinriksha. 

It  is  little  wonder  that  Miss  Tate  grew  so  cramped 
that,  on  getting  out  of  her  chair,  she  could  not  walk  for  a 
while.  A little  Korean  house  had  been  bought  in  the  city 
of  Chunju,  and  when  it  was  noised  abroad  that  there  was 
a foreign  woman  in  that  home,  the  yard,  which  was  a 
good  sized  one,  and  the  wall  in  front  of  the  home  were 
filled  with  sight-seers.  Day  after  day  the  crowd  continued 
to  come  just  to  stare  at  that  woman  with  the  blue  eyes  and 
fair  hair,  so  different  from  anything  they  had  ever  seen 
before.  One  day  Miss  Tate  arose  to  walk  across  the  floor, 
and  with  one  accord  they  cried,  “Look,  she  has  two  feet 
just  like  we  have,  we  thought  she  had  only  one!”  She 
had  been  sitting  on  the  floor  so  that  only  one  foot  showed. 

Korean  Curiosity. — I myself  have  several  times,  on 
trips  to  new  country  places,  had  the  Koreans,  seeing  my 
black  hose,  comment  on  the  fact  that  while  my  feet  were 
black,  my  face  was  white.  I can  well  understand  why  no 
foreign  missionary  ever  wants  to  go  to  a zoological  garden 
to  see  the  animals.  We  all  know  just  exactly  how  the 
monkeys  feel  at  the  staring,  gaping,  chattering  crowd  of 


24 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


sight-seers ; and  while  none  of  us  are  believers  in  the  Dar- 
winian theory,  still,  “A  touch  of  pity  makes  the  whole 
world  kin.”  I have  often  thought,  as  I would  try  to 
write  or  study,  endeavoring  to  ignore  the  faces  pressed 
close  to  the  window  pane,  intent  on  every  movement  1 
made,  that  I understood  what  the  Saviour  meant  by  the 
multitudes  pressing  upon  Him.  How  He  must  have  longed 
for  the  freedom  of  solitude ! And  that  is  one  of  the  hard- 
ships of  the  mission  field,  the  multitude  presses  on  us.  We 
cannot  get  away  from  their  curiosity,  their  questions,  their 
burdens,  their  misery  or  their  sins.  Even  in  dreams  we 
are  pursued  by  their  anguished  faces.  I think  that  fact 
in  itself  accounts  for  many  of  the  nervous  break-downs 
on  the  Korean  field. 

Tong-hak. — During  a stay  of  nearly  three  months  in 
Chunju,  Miss  Tate  did  not  once  venture  out  on  the  street, 
but  many  women  were  seen  in  her  home,  tracts  were  dis- 
tributed, and  Mr.  Tate  and  his  Korean  teacher  did  con- 
stant preaching  and  personal  work;  and  so  the  first  seed 
was  sown.  After  they  had  been  in  Chunju  about  two 
months  there  arose  talk  of  a new  doctrine,  by  which  men 
could  get  supernatural  gifts.  These  people  were  called 
the  Tong-haks;  and  their  rebellion  against  the  Govern- 
ment was  known  as  the  Tong-hak  Rebellion.  Their  desire 
was  to  drive  all  foreigners  out  of  Korea,  and  keep  the 
Chosen  land  for  the  Chosen  people. 

One  day  Mr.  Tate  heard  a great  noise  on  the  hill  above 
where  they  lived  and  was  told  that  a crowd  had  gathered 
there  and  were  crying,  “Let  us  break  the  gate  down,” 
“We  will  fire  the  house,”  “Let  us  take  sticks  and  drive 
the  foreign  rascals  out.” 

In  Danger. — Day  by  day  the  news  came  that  the 
rebels  were  coming  nearer  to  Chunju,  and  Mr.  Tate’s 
teacher  insisted  that  they  leave  for  Seoul,  for  he  said  if 
they  reached  Chunju  the  missionaries  would  be  killed,  and 
he  too,  because  of  his  association  with  them.  Just  as  a 


THE  PREPARATION 


25 


runner  came  saying  that  they  were  actually  within  ten 
miles  of  Chunju,  Mr.  Tate  received  a communication  from 
our  Legation  advising  him  to  return  to  Seoul.  The  Ko- 
rean teacher  fairly  danced  for  joy.  Thus  the  seed  sowing 
was  interrupted. 

Exploring  South. — The  month  of  May  of  that  same 
year,  1894,  had  been  spent  by  Mr.  Reynolds  and  Dr.  Drew, 
who  with  his  wife  had  come  from  America  to  join  the 
original  seven,  on  a long  exploring  and  preaching  trip 
from  Seoul  to  Fusan,  via  Kunsan,  Chunju,  Mokpo,  and 
Soonchun,  and  many  other  points.  They  touched  at  many 
places  that  were  later  to  become  centers  of  our  work. 

Kunsan. — The  tiny  ponies  were  loaded  so  heavily  with 
the  copper  cash  and  tinned  provisions  necessary  for  the 
long  journey  that  the  foreigners  had  not  the  heart  to  ride 
on  top  of  the  load.  The  immaculately  dressed  native,  who 
accompanied  them,  as  guide  and  language  teacher,  forti- 
fied by  custom,  had  no  such  scruples,  but  climbed  atop  the 
bedding  and  rode  in  comfort,  while  the  missionaries 
walked.  But  one  day  in  crossing  a muddy  ditch,  the 
pony  made  a sudden  jump,  and  the  dignified  teacher  lost 
his  equilibrium,  turned  a somersault  backwards  and  land- 
ed on  his  tall  hat  in  the  rear  of  the  pony.  The  undignified 
missionaries  gave  way  to  unconcealed  mirth,  but  it  was 
no  joke  to  the  Korean.  Dr.  Drew’s  feet  became  so  badly 
blistered  with  walking,  that  to  relieve  them,  he  literally 
“shod  them  with  the  preparation  of  the  Gospel  of  Peace,” 
in  the  form  of  tracts  inserted  in  the  inner  soles  of  his 
shoes.  One  direct  result  of  this  sore  experience,  too,  was 
Dr.  Drew’s  determination  to  begin  work  at  Kunsan  Port 
instead  of  in  the  interior;  so  that  he  could  itinerate  by 
boat  and  not  have  to  tramp  over  the  country. 

The  Tong-hak  Rebellion  and  the  Chino-Japanese  war 
kept  all  our  workers  in  Seoul  for  a year  now,  it  not  being 
wise  for  them  to  go  South  while  things  were  so  unsettled, 
but  they  continued  active  work  in  the  city  of  Seoul.  In 


26 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


the  cholera  epidemic,  that  swept  the  country,  they  ren- 
dered heroic  service,  ministering  to  the  dying  and  com- 
forting the  panic  stricken  people. 

Return  to  Chunju. — Chunju  lay  in  the  path  of  destruc- 
tion of  the  Tong-haks,  so  in  the  fall  of  1895,  when  Messrs. 
Tate  and  Reynolds  re-visited  Chunju,  they  found  that 
about  one-third  of  the  city  had  been  destroyed  in  a battle 
between  the  Government  troops  and  Tong-haks.  On  mar- 
ket day  prisoners  would  be  led  out  by  a squad  of  soldiers 
and  shot  in  full  view  of  the  crowd  as  a warning  against 
rebellion.  Of  the  six  who  had  attended  services  and  ex- 
pressed a desire  to  follow  Christ,  all  had  been  scattered, 
and  a new  beginning  was  made.  Callers  thronged  to  see 
the  foreigners,  and  hundreds  of  Christian  books  and 
tracts  were  sold.  Leaving  Seoul  after  Christmas,  1895, 
Mr.  and  Miss  Tate  came  to  Chunju  to  live,  where  Mr.  Har- 
rison joined  them  in  1896,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reynolds,  in 
1897. 

Kunsan  Station  Opened. — In  1896  the  Junkin  and 
Drew  families  moved  to  Kunsan  and  shortly  after  Miss 
Linnie  Davis  joined  them  there ; so  a new  centre  of  Gospel 
influence  was  started.  Kunsan  is  on  Basil’s  Bay,  at  the 
mouth  of  Keum  Kang,  “Gold  River,”  120  miles  from 
Chemulpo,  and  thirty-five  miles  from  Chunju.  In  1896 
it  had  no  wharf,  nor  post-office,  nor  telegraph.  The  streets 
were  narrow,  crooked,  and  filthy.  The  only  medium  of 
exchange  was  the  old  copper  coin  with  a hole  in  it.  It 
took  a string  of  100  of  these  to  make  ten  cents.  So  a purse 
in  which  to  carry  your  money  was  an  impossibility.  Twen- 
ty dollars  was  a coolie  load. 

Rice,  chickens,  and  eggs  could  be  bought  at  the  Ko- 
rean market,  which  was  held  every  five  days,  but  other 
supplies  had  to  come  from  San  Francisco,  pass  the  cus- 
toms at  Chemulpo,  and  wait  an  indefinite  time  for  a 
steamer  to  Kunsan.  Even  after  I came  to  Korea,  I have 
waited  sixteen  months  for  a grocery  order  and  we  always 


THE  PREPARATION 


27 


count  on  waiting  four  months.  For  several  years  all 
cooking  was  done  on  a charcoal  brazier,  for  stoves  were 
thought  to  be  dangerous  to  the  straw  thatched  roofs  of 
the  Korean  houses  in  which  the  missionaries  were  forced 
to  live.  Mrs.  Junkin  eventually  got  a stove,  but  Mrs. 
Drew  never  owned  a stove  in  Kunsan. 

For  three  years  our  workers  in  Kunsan  lived  in  little 
thatched  Korean  houses,  built  of  mud,  with  paper  doors 
and  windows.  In  1899  Mr.  Junkin  built  the  first  foreign 
residence  there. 

Ready  Soil. — The  response  to  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel  at  this  station  was,  perhaps,  more  prompt  than 
in  any  other  section.  Mr.  Junkin  preached  regularly  to 
good  congregations,  many  of  whom  had  to  leave  home 
on  Saturday  in  order  to  get  to  the  Sunday  morning  ser- 
vice. Miss  Davis  held  meetings  for  women  and  children. 
The  sick  came  readily  to  Dr.  Drew’s  guest  quarters,  where 
he  had  opened  a dispensary,  and  thus  furnished  an  im- 
portant point  of  contact  between  the  missionary  and  the 
people. 

Rev.  W.  F.  Bull  joined  Kunsan  Station  in  1899.  In 
the  following  spring  came  Miss  Libby  Alby,  who  in  the 
course  of  Cupid’s  activities  became  Mrs.  W.  F.  Bull. 

First  Chunju  Baptisms. — When  Rev.  and  Mrs.  W.  D. 
Reynolds  reached  Chunju  in  the  summer  of  1897,  they 
found  that  Mr.  Tate  had  prepared  a class  of  five  for  bap- 
tism, and  so  the  first  five  converts  in  our  Chunju  field  were 
baptized  that  summer  by  Mr.  Reynolds. 

These  five  are  all  typical  of  our  Korean  converts,  so 
I shall  tell  a little  of  their  after  growth  and  develop- 
ment. Two  of  them  were  men,  and  because  there  was  no 
depth,  when  the  day  of  persecution  and  testing  came, 
they  both  fell  away.  They  are  both  in  Hawaii  now  and, 
while  nominal  Christians,  their  fruit-bearing  has  been 
small. 


28 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


C.  G.  Kim. — There  was  a mother  and  her  little  son  who 
lived  in  a mud  hut  near  the  Tates.  Mrs.  Kim  had  nar- 
rowly watched  her  strange  neighbors  to  be  sure  they  did 
not  make  offerings  to  the  household  gods,  or  do  honor  to 
their  ancestral  spirits.  First  through  curiosity  and  later 
through  real  interest,  she  attended  the  weekly  meetings 
held  by  Miss  Tate  for  the  women,  where  the  Gospel  story 
was  told  in  its  simplicity  and  power.  With  her  she.  took 
her  son,  a boy  of  twelve.  Chang  Gooky  was  a long,  list- 
less, timid  boy,  whose  underlip  seemed  to  lack  a pucker- 
ing string;  and  his  hair  hung  in  a dirty  plait  down  his 
back,  but  he  early  learned  to  love  to  sing  those  wonderful 
Gospel  songs;  and  the  story  of  the  Cross  took  hold  of  his 
imagination.  His  father  aspired  to  practice  medicine  in 
old  Korean  style,  and  Mr.  Harrison’s  first  meeting  with 
the  father  was  very  characteristic.  A Korean  had  come 


Mrs.  Yu 


Rev.  C.  G.  Kim 


THE  PREPARATION 


29 


to  Mr.  Harrison’s  home  in  intense  pain.  To  relieve  him 
Mr.  Harrison  gave  him  a slight  opiate  and  told  him  to 
wait  on  the  porch  while  he  got  his  medicine  ready.  When 
Mr.  Harrison  returned,  a strange  man  was  sitting  beside 
the  patient  holding  a big  needle  at  his  elbow  just  ready 
to  stick  it  in  and  let  the  evil  spirit  out.  It  proved  to  he 
the  father  of  Chang  Gooky.  Mrs.  Kim  and  Chang  Gooky 
were  baptized,  and  to  her  death  the  mother  was  a faith- 
ful Christian.  In  these  early  days  of  seed  sowing,  Chang 
Gooky  gathered  the  neighborhood  boys  in  and  acted  as 
Sunday  School  Superintendent,  while  Mrs.  Keynolds 
taught  them.  In  1898  Mr.  Harrison  persuaded  Miss  Linnie 
Davis  to  come  to  Chunju  as  Mrs.  Harrison,  and  they  took 
Chang  Gooky  as  servant  in  the  new  home.  Drawn  nearer 
to  the  Master  through  Mrs.  Harrison’s  teaching,  he  ex- 
pressed a desire  to  become  a preacher  of  the  Word,  so  he 
studied  first  in  our  Mission  school,  then  in  Pyeng  Yang 
and  is  now  one  of  our  ordained  Missionaries  to  Chayju, 
(Quelparte),  an  eloquent  and  effective  preacher  of  the 
Gospel. 

Mrs.  Yu. — Among  that  original  five  was  one  of  a dif- 
ferent type,  Mrs.  Yu.  Her  husband  was  a well-to-do  man, 
but  alas,  she  had  failed  to  do  her  duty, — she  had  only 
two  little  girls.  As  yet  no  son  had  been  born  to  keep  up 
the  ancestral  worship ; and  in  the  Orient  a woman  is 
worse  than  useless,  who  does  not  give  her  husband  a 
son.  Heartsick  and  discouraged  Mrs.  Yu  was  ready  for 
the  message,  “Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are 
heavy  laden,  and  I will  give  you  rest.”  Almost  from  the 
first,  she  believed  in  Him  who  had  compassion  on  even 
the  woman  of  Samaria.  At  first  she  did  not  tell  her 
husband  she  was  going  to  Miss  Tate’s  meetings  to  learn 
about  the  Jesus  doctrine,  but  pretended  that  she  went 
only  for  a sight-see  of  the  strange  things  in  the  home. 
But  little  by  little  a new  thought  came  to  her,  this  Jesus 
would  not  lie  even  to  save  His  own  life,  so  next  time  her 


30 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


husband  asked  her  where  she  had  been,  she  told  him, 
“to  study  the  Jesus  doctrine.’ ’ He  beat  her  until  the 
blood  came  and  forbade  her  under  penalty  of  death  to  go 
again,  but  she  went.  Often  she  was  beaten,  always  abused. 
“It  is  the  husband’s  business  to  think.  How  can  a stupid 
thing  like  a woman  learn  anything?  An  intelligent  beast 
like  a cow  can’t  learn,  so  why  should  a stupid  thing  like 
a woman  think  of  studying?” 

Nameless  Girls. — One  of  the  first  fruits  of  Mrs.  Yu’s 
new  attitude  of  mind  was  to  give  her  little  girls  names. 
Korean  women  have  no  names  of  their  own.  The  way 
they  are  designated  often  sounds  to  us  very  funny.  I 
have  a friend  who  is  known  to  us  as  “The  woman  with 
the  broken  tooth.”  Another  is,  “The  woman  with  a wart 
on  her  nose.”  After  they  have  a son  they  are  known  as 
“So  and  So’s  mother.”  I have  known  little  girls  called 
No.  1 and  No.  2.  I have  one  little  friend  called  “Enough” 
because  she  was  the  third  girl,  and  her  father  thought 
girls  should  stop  in  his  family.  So  Mrs.  Yu,  learning  from 
the  Gracious  Book  that  the  life  of  Jairus’  little  daughter 
was  precious  in  His  sight,  named  her  first  little  girl,  “Big 
Treasure”  (Keun  Pobai),  and  her  second  little  girl, 
“Little  Treasure”  (Chagun  Pobai). 

Odd  Baby  Bed. — Not  long  after  her  baptism  a son  was 
born.  He  was  the  first  boy  and,  of  course,  very  precious. 
One  day  when  a hurry  call  for  Dr.  Ingold  came,  she 
.went  to  the  home.  Not  seeing  the  baby  anywhere,  she 
asked  where  he  was.  In  reply  they  took  her  to  the  back 
yard  and  there  was  a large  pig  that  had  been  killed  and 
the  little  boy  placed  inside.  He  had  “Red  Poison,” 
(erysipelas)  and  the  Koreans  thought  the  best  remedy 
for  this  was  to  put  him  inside  of  the  hog.  Dr.  Ingold 
quickly  had  the  child  out  of  his  strange  cradle,  and  with 
difficulty  saved  his  life. 

Mrs.  Yu  thought,  surely  now  Mr.  Yu  will  see  God  is 
blessing  us.  But,  no ; he  wanted  that  boy  trained  to  taki 


THE  PREPARATION 


3t, 

part  in  the  Ancestral  Worship,  and  he  had  already  begun 
to  fear  his  wife’s  son  would  drink  in  the  Jesus  doctrine 
with  his  mother’s  milk.  Mrs.  Yu,  however  had  made 
another  step  heavenward.  She  had  decided  she  would 
not  herself  prepare  the  food  for  sacrifice.  Up  to  this 
time  she  had  contented  herself  with  the  thought  that  she 
did  not  sin  if  she  simply  did  not  take  part  in  the  sacrificial 
rites ; but  she  had  superintended  the  killing  of  the  chicken, 
the  cooking  of  the  rice,  the  setting  of  the  table  to  be  placed 
before  the  “ Honorable  Spirit.” 

Now  she  had  reached  higher  ground.  She  told  her 
husband,  when  the  time  came  that  the  servants  and  food 
were  there,  he  could  do  as  he  pleased,  but  she  had  de- 
cided that  she  would  serve  Jesus  her  Lord,  and  would 
have  nothing  to  do  from  that  time  on  with  the  Ances- 
tral Worship. 

Faces  Death. — Mr.  Yu  could  not  believe  his  ears.  A 
woman  refuse  to  obey  her  husband!  It  was  open  rebel- 
lion! He  seized  the  large  kitchen  knife  that  was  lying 
near  and  ordered  her  to  prepare  the  sacrifice  or  die.  But 
to  his  utter  amazement  he  met  the  calm  reply,  “Kill  me 
if  you  will!  You  can  kill  my  body,  but  not  my  soul;  but 
never  again  will  I prepare  the  sacrificial  feast.”  He  stood 
several  minutes  with  knife  poised  above  her,  but  he  saw 
no  flinching  in  those  calm  eyes.  Her  face  was  lit  by  a 
steady  purpose,  to  witness  truly  for  her  Lord,  though  it 
cost  her  her  life;  so  dropping  the  knife  he  fled  from  the 
house. 

That  is  some  twelve  years  ago.  It  happened  soon  after 
I came  to  Korea,  and  I do  not  think  he  has  ever  beaten 
her  since.  He  is  still  not  a Christian,  and  often  abuses 
her,  but  he  has  allowed  the  daughters  and  son  to  be 
educated  in  our  Christian  schools,  and  the  oldest  daughter 
was  sent  in  marriage  to  a Christian  man. 

Mrs.  Yu  stands  a type  of  the  Christian  woman  who 
endures,  never  able  to  visit  or  preach  much,  but  witness- 


32 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


ing  for  Christ  in  her  home,  and  rearing  her  children  to 
rise  and  call  her  blessed.  In  the  last  day,  many  such  an 
oriental  woman  will  hear  the  “ Well  done,”  of  the  Master. 

South  Chulla. — The  beginning  of  the  work  in  South 
Chulla  will  always  be  linked  with  the  name  of  Rev. 
Eugene  Bell.  Coming  out  with  Mrs.  Bell  in  1895,  they 
too  spent  their  first  two  years  in  Seoul,  studying  the 
language,  learning  the  customs  and  working  with  the 
missionaries  there.  Mr.  Bell  made  several  trips  south 
and  it  was  thought  at  first  that  the  South  Chulla  work 
should  be  opened  at  Naju,  a large  walled  town  twenty 
miles  west  of  Kwangju,  and  once  the  capital  of  the  prov- 
ince. The  people  there  however,  seemed  very  hostile, 
and  as  the  Government  had  indicated  the  plan  to  make 
Mokpo  a treaty  port,  it  was  decided  to  locate  there. 

Mokpo,  1898.— Dr.  Chester  was  then  on  a visit  to  the 
Orient  and  having  made  an  overland  pony  trip  from  Seoul 
with  Mr.  Bell,  he  concurred  in  this  decision.  In  the  fall 
of  1£98  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bell  moved  to  Mokpo.  They  were 
soon  afterwards  reinforced  by  the  arrival  of  Dr.  C.  C. 

- Owen,  and  Miss  F.  R.  Straeffer  joined  them  the  following 
year. 

|t 

Translation. — Rev.  W.  D.  Reynolds,  having  shown  a 
wonderful  gift  for  learning  this  strange  and  difficult  lan- 
guage, w&s  elected  in  1895  as  a member  of  the  Board  of 
Bible  Translators,  and  from  that  time  on  much  of  his 
strength  was  given  to  that  important  work.  For  many 
years  he  served  as  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Translators, 
Dr.  Underwood  being  Chairman  and  Messrs.  Appenzeller 
and  Gale  the  other  two  members.  A provisional  version 
of  the  New  Testament  was  published  by  the  Board  in  1904 
and  two  years  later  a revised  and  corrected  edition 
printed. 

The  Board  then  published  Genesis  and  Psalms,  but  had 
not  completed  either  when  Drs.  Gale  and  Underwood 


THE  PREPARATION 


33 


left  on  furlough,  and  never  resumed  continuous  sessions 
after  their  return,  as  their  time  was  taken  up  with  other 
pressing  work.  The  task  of  completing  the  Old  Testa- 
ment thus  devolved  on  Mr.  Reynolds,  who  with  the  as- 
sistance of  two  Koreans,  Kim  Chung  Sam  and  Yi  Sung 
Doo  worked  steadily  on  through  book  after  hook,  until 
April  2,  1910,  when  he  had  the  joy  of  seeing  a completed 
work.  Missionary  croakers  had  grumbled  at  the  slowness 
of  the  Board  and  said,  “At  this  rate  it  will  take  fifty  years 
to  give  the  people  the  Bible  in  their  own  vernacular.” 
As  a matter  of  record  it  took  five  years  and  four  months 
from  the  time  Mr.  Reynolds  and  the  two  Koreans  began 
work  on  the  Old  Testament  until  the  last  verse  was  done. 
The  only  book  untouched  by  them  was  Jeremiah,  which 
was  handed  in  by  Dr.  Underwood.  It  is  a sonrce  of  great 
pleasure  to  us  that  one  of  out  workers  had  so  great  a 
share  in  giving  the  Word  of  Life  in  the  vernacular  to 
Korea.  In  June,  1908, -in  recognition  of  his  services  as 
translator  of  the  Scriptures,  Mr.  Reynolds  was  accorded 
the  degree  of  D.  D.  by  his  alma  mater,  Hampden  Sidney 
College,  Virginia. 

Korean  Houses. — Much  of  the  strength  of  the  mission- 
ary in  these  first  days  had  to  go  into  the  house  that  Jack 
did  not  build.  Korean  houses  are  all  one  story  and  <Ji“ 
vided  into  two  classes,  tile-roofed  or  straw-thatched.  The 
homes  in  the  country  villages  are  largely  straw-roofed; 
only  the  rich  live  in  the  tile-roofed  homes.  They  set  up 
posts  eight  feet  apart,  held  together  at  the  top  by  plates, 
and  then  in  the  spaces  between,  they  make  a bamboo  lat- 
tice work  over  which  they  plaster  mud,  inside  and  out, 
thus  making  the  walls.  The  floors  are  made  of  stone 
with  a smooth  coating  of  mud  on  top  and  then  thick  yel- 
low oil  paper  over  that.  It  is  really  a very  pretty  floor, 
too,  and  very  clean,  but  it  is  not  intended  for  chairs  or 
furniture  to  be  moved  over  it  for  they  soon  dent  and 
ruin  the  oil  paper.  Parallel  flues  are  built  under  the  floor, 


34 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


which  converge  at  each  end  into  an  opening  outside.  One 
opening  is  the  smoke  vent  and  the  other  is  the  big  open 
firing  hole  in  the  lean-to  kitchen,  usually  built  next  to 
the  living  room.  Over  this  firing  place  hang  one  or  two 
iron  pots,  a large  one  used  for  cooking  rice  and  a small 
one  for  vegetables  or  soup.  For  fuel,  pine  tops,  leaves, 
dried  grass,  rice  hulls,  anything  can  be  used;  and  the 
same  heat  that  cooks  the  food  also  warms  the  home.  The 
place  in  the  living  room  most  directly  over  the  firing  place 
is  called  ‘'the  hot  spot”  and  is  the  place  of  honor,  and 
many  a missionary  has  thought  of  the  Hebrew  Children 
and  their  fiery  trial  as  he  sat  uncomfortably  perspiring, 
yet  unable  to  make  his  host  understand. 

An-Pang. — All  Korean  homes  of  the  better  class  have 
a sarang,  or  guest  room,  where  men  are  received,  and  the 
“An-pang,”  or  women’s  quarters,  are  back  of  this  and 
screened  from  view.  Until  a Korean  girl  is  ten  or  twelve 
she  plays  around  the  village  with  a good  deal  of  freedom, 
but  as  she  approaches  marriageable  age,  back  she  must 
go  to  the  An-pang,  where  no  men  except  the  nearest  of 
kin  are  allowed;  and  only  then  by  the  invitation  of  the 
man  of  the  home. 

Though  not  so  secluded  as  the  women  of  India,  still 
the  women  of  Korea  have  not  the  freedom  of  their  Japa- 
nese sisters.  To  a Western  woman,  accustomed  from  child- 
hood, to  freedom,  at  first  this  seems  horrible ; but  the  more 
familiar  you  become  with  Eastern  life,  the  more  you  real- 
ize that  while  the  moral  standard  of  the  people  is  so  low 
the  seclusion  of  the  younger  women  is  their  moral  salva- 
tion. I verily  believe  that  under  existing  moral  condi- 
tions, one  of  the  greatest  blessings  to  Korea  has  been  the 
seclusion  of  the  girls.  It  has  developed  in  the  popular 
conscience  a protest  against  immorality,  the  absence  of 
which  protest  in  Japan  is  now  a source  of  great  anxiety 
to  the  leading  Japanese  statesmen. 


THE  PREPARATION 


35 


Shopping. — While  conditions  now  are  changing  some- 
what, the  leaven  works  gradually.  For  a complete  up- 
heaval of  the  ancient  customs  would  mean  moral  chaos 
rather  than  elevation  of  society. 

But  the  lack  of  freedom  of  the  Korean  young  woman 
is  a constant  surprise  to  us.  After  eight  years  in  Korea, 
when  I was  preparing  to  go  home,  I wanted  a Korean  silk 
waist,  just  the  right  shade  of  plum  for  a woman  forty- 
five  years  old  to  wear;  for  while  all  clothes  have  been 
made  by  the  same  pattern  for  three  thousand  years,  the 
color  you  wear  is  very  strictly  regulated  by  the  number 
of  “birthday  cakes  you  have  eaten. ” Having  passed 
forty,  and  therefore  being  no  longer  permitted  to  wear 
pink  and  blue,  I asked  a Korean  friend,  who  was  sewing 
for  me  to  go  down  town  with  me  to  select  the  waist.  She 
was  about  thirty  and  has  five  children,  whom  she  sup- 
ports, while  her  husband  rests ; but  she  said  she  had  never 
been  down  town  in  her  life.  She  would  like  to  go,  but 
would  first  ask  her  mother-in-law.  That  evening  she  re- 
turned to  tell  me  that  her  mother-in-law  thought  she  was 
too  young  to  go.  The  mother-in-law  is  a joke  in  America 
but  she  is  a solemn  reality  in  Korea. 

Korean  Homes. — Korean  rooms  are  usually  8x8  and 
contain  very  little  furniture,  except  beautiful  old  chests, 
heavily  ornamented  with  brass  clasps,  hinges,  and  massive 
locks.  The  rooms  have  paper  doors  and  windows,  and 
the  eaves  of  the  roof  project  out  about  three  feet  over  the 
house  thus  protecting  it  from  rain  and  adding  to  its 
coolness.  As  no  American  family  could  live  comfortably 
in  a little  mud  house  with  such  tiny  rooms,  at  first  semi- 
foreign  Korean  houses  were  built.  They  were  nearly  all 
one  story  brick  veneered  mud  houses,  with  tile  roof,  but 
the  rooms  were  large  and  comfortable  with  glass  win- 
dows and  many  American  conveniences. 

House  Building. — The  missionary,  who  often  had  not 
even  had  the  experience  of  building  a chicken  coop  in 


36  DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 

the  homeland,  had  not  only  to  superintend  the  building 
of  his  home,  but  the  preparing  of  the  materials,  the  cut- 
ting of  the  timber  and  sawing  it  into  lumber  by  hand; 
burning  the  brick,  for  which  a kiln  must  be  made,  and 
the  burning  of  the  lime.  In  those  early  days  work  was 
done  by  day  labor,  contracts  were  unknown  in  the  coun- 
try and  there  were  no  good  carpenters  and  masons  who 
knew  how  to  build  this  new  kind  of  house.  In  the  last 
eight  years  the  new  buildings  have  been  built  by  contract 
and  are  of  solid  walls  of  brick  or  stone  (stone  being  very 
cheap  at  some  places),  it  being  thought  that  these  more 
substantial  buildings  would  be  cheaper  in  the  end ; as  the 
wooden  pillar  in  the  Korean  style  house  will  eventually 
have  to  be  replaced  at  considerable  cost. 

Best  to  Laugh. — A set  of  rules,  written  and  posted  on 
the  door  of  our  guest  room,  by  a friend  to  whom  we  lent 
our  home  during  our  furlough  has  furnished  some  amuse- 
ment, and  I append  them  as  a commentary  on  the  early 
Korean  missionary  home.  They  were  written  for  fun 
with  no  idea  of  publication: 

Rules  governing  the  John-Abelle  Apartments: 

1.  All  guests  will  be  met  at  the  train  by  a boy  speak- 
ing Korean. 

2.  On  arrival  at  Apartments  you  will  be  shown  over 
the  premises  by  selected  guards  familiar  with  halls  and 
short  cuts,  also  the  prevailing  direction  cf  all  the  double 
acting  swinging  doors,  and  the  location  of  all  holes  in  the 
flojrs. 

3.  Hot  and  cold  water,  in  all  rooms,  provided  you  noti- 
fy the  management  a day  in  advance,  so  he  can  have  it 
brought. 

4.  No  leper,  fleey  person,  or  one  who  discusses  High 
Cost  of  Living  admitted. 


THE  PREPARATION 


37 


5.  Should  the  plastering  fall  from  the  ceiling  in  your 
room,  always  sweep  it  under  your  bed  to  keep  from 
tracking  it  on  the  floor. 

6.  When  preparing  to  retire,  we  suggest  that  you 
wear  socks  to  the  bedside,  as  some  persons  object  to  the 
pinching  of  the  soles  of  their  feet  between  the  loose  boards. 

7.  During  the  rainy  season,  extra  tubs  and  tin  cans 
will  be  furnished  each  room  on  application,  to  be  put 
under  the  leaks. 

Season  of  1917.  The  Manager  for 

The  John-Abelle  Apartments. 


John-Abelle  Apartments 


Some  Mission  Boards  have  sent  out  special  architects 
or  builders  in  an  effort  to  save  the  time  and  strength  of 
the  Evangelists,  but  this  has  rarely  proved  a success.  The 
buildings  nearly  always  cost  more.  The  architect  under- 
: stands  neither  the  language  nor  the  mind  of  the  native 
with  whom  he  has  to  work,  and  often  troublesome  com- 
plications arise. 

Chunju  Houses  Disturbed  the  Dead. — -There  was  one 
very  interesting  thing  connected  with  the  building  of  our 
first  two  houses  in  Chunju.  A beautiful  site  was  bought 
on  a hill  just  outside  of  the  city,  and  then  in  1897,  with 
much  labor  and  care,  Messrs.  Reynolds  and  Tate  superin- 
tended the  erection  of  two  neat  semi-foreign  houses  at  a 


38 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


cost  of  $1,500.00  each.  The  missionaries  were  just  settled 
in  their  homes  and  were  beginning  to  plant  fruit  and 
flowers,  when  word  came  from  the  officials  that  the  site 
was  a sacred  one,  being  the  birthplace  of  the  grandfather 
of  the  founder  of  the  reigning  dynasty,  500  years  ago.  So 
the  King  asked  us  to  sell  him  the  property,  that  he  might 
tear  down  the  houses.  Negotiations  were  entered  into 
with  the  governor,  with  the  result  that  the  government 
gave  us  a larger  tract  of  land  just  across  the  brook  from 
Chunju  and  a sufficient  sum  of  money  to  reimburse  the 
Mission  for  all  expenses,  including  the  services  of  the 
missionaries  while  building.  But  the  lost  time  could  not 
be  recalled,  and.  thus  all  their  effort  seemed  to  go  for 
nought.  But  now  we  can  see  God’s  hand  of  Providence 
leading  us  all  the  way,  for  the  original  hill  was  not  nearly 
large  enough  for  our  present  Mission  Station  of  Chunju 
with  its  well-equipped  hospital,  two  schools  and  eight 
residences. 

The  Dignity  of  Labor. — There  was  one  good  lesson  also 
taught  the  Korean  by  these  missionary  builders.  When 
workmen  were  so  crude,  it  was  often  necessary  for  the 
Westerner  to  take  charge  and  work  with  his  own  hand 
for  a time.  Now  an  elegant  Korean  gentleman  knows 
nothing  of  the  dignity  of  labor.  Ye  olde  tyme  Korean 
Aristocrat  allows  his  finger  nails  to  grow  long,  projecting 
one-half  inch  or  more,  and  keeps  them  trimmed  and  pol- 
ished as  proof  that  he  never  works  with  his  hands.  I 
have  had  my  language  teacher  go  home  and  send  his 
servant  for  a small  bundle,  because  he  could  not  carry 
anything  through  the  streets. 

So  one  very  helpful  lesson  we  have  tried  to  teach  is 
that  which  the  great  missionary,  Paul,  taught  the  Thessa- 
lonians,  those  who  disdain  work  must  also  refuse  to  eat; 
for  the  idler  deserves  no  hire.  All  of  us  have  had  funny 
experiences  while  doing  manual  labor.  Not  infrequently 
when  some  Korean  stranger  has  come  to  our  home  to  find 


THE  PREPARATION 


39 


Mr.  Nisbet  trimming  his  grapes  or  me  weeding  the  flowers, 
he  has  refused  to  believe  at  first  that  we  were  other  than 
servants  in  the  home,  for  surely  the  master  and  mistress 
would  not  work  with  their  hands. 

From  the  start  the  whole  missionary  body  has  very 
wisely  declined  to  cater  to  this  idea  of  the  Aristocracy  of 
Idleness.  We  have  tried  to  teach  that  the  man  who  sings, 
“I  don’t  bother  work  ror  does  work  bother  me,  that’s 
why  I am  as  happy  a f jl  big  bumble-bee,”  is  also  of  as 
little  use  as  the  big  bumble-bee.  And  the  Koreans  are 
gradually  learning  the  lesson,  too.  I have  seen  dignified 
theological  graduates  at  work  in  their  gardens,  but  the 
idea  that  the  scholar  can  do  no  manual  labor  has  been  a 
great  handicap  to  Korea. 

Missionaries,  in  order  to  make  good,  frequently  must 
know  how  to  build  houses,  burn  brick,  make  good  roads, 
mend  telephones,  repair  bicycles,  plant  and  cultivate  vege- 
tables, care  for  fruit  trees,  as  well  as  teach,  run  the  type- 
writer, write  books  and  sermons,  and  walk  miles  in  the 
country — for  while  you  may  start  out  on  your  wheel,  you 
will  probably  return  on  your  feet,  with  your  wheel  on  a 
coolie’s  back. 

The  Point  of  View, — We  have  all  heard  the  sad  fate  of 
the  hero  of  the  poem — 

‘‘An  Occidental,  newly  sent 
And  keyed  up  for  the  tussle, 

Has  come  to  rouse  the  Orient, 

And  teach  it  how  to  hustle.” 

While  the  missionary  does  not  really  come  in  that 
spirit,  he  often  thinks  that  our  people,  our  country,  our 
customs,  are  the  best  in  the  world.  I have  no  desire  to 
dispute  that,  but  when  you  get  at  the  root  of  an  Eastern 
custom,  it  often  has  an  excellent  reason  for  its  existence. 
You  have  heard  that  things  are  topsy-turvy  in  the  Orient, 


40 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


just  exactly  opposite  from  our  idea  of  how  they  should 
be,  but  no  one  can  realize  to  what  an  extent  that  is  car- 
ried, unless  he  lives  here.  You  start  to  read  from  the 
back  of  the  book  instead  of  the  front,  the  printing  is 
vertical  and  not  horizontal.  In  addressing  a letter,  first 
comes  the  country  and  then  the  town  and  lastly  the  name 
of  the  receiver.  Tombstones  are  placed  at  the  foot  of 
the  grave,  the  dining  table  is  brought  to  you  instead  of 
your  going  to  the  table.  The  points  of  the  compass  are 
spoken  of  in  the  reverse  order  as  from  the  south  to  the 
north,  not  north  to  south. 

Aged  Spring  and  Tender  Winter. — Our  school  boys 
gave  a play  in  which  the  four  seasons  took  part.  Spring 
came  in,  an  old  man;  Summer  was  middle  aged,  Autumn, 
young,  and  Winter  was  just  a child.  I said,  “How  funny. 
We  make  Spring  young  and  Winter  a hoary-haired  old 
man.”  My  Korean  friend  could  hardly  restrain  her  as- 
tonishment, as  she  replied,  “Is  not  Spring  the  first  born 
of  the  year?  How  can  you  fail  to  make  him  the  oldest? 
And  Winter,  the  last  born,  must  be  the  baby.”  I have 
found  often  it  is  just  a question  of  viewpoint.  And  one 
who  would  really  get  into  the  heart  life  of  these  Eastern 
people,  must  be  able  to  get  their  viewpoint;  and  I know 
of  few  things  that  broaden  you  more  than  to  mentally 
“put  yourself  in  the  other  fellow’s  place.”  I often  think 
of  the  poem: 

“Three  men  took  joy  in  finding  fault, 

And  thus  it  came  to  pass, 

The  gods  upon  each  one  of  them, 

Bestowed  a piece  of  glass. 

“The  fool  contrived  of  his  a lens, 

Wherein  to  gloating  eyes, 

The  smallest  blot  that  could  be  found, 

Was  magnified  in  size. 


THE  PREPARATION 


41 


‘‘The  just  man  made  of  his  a pane, 

All  clear,  without  a flaw, 

Nor  summer  sun  nor  winter  rain 
Affected  what  he  saw. 

“The  wise  man  pondered  long  and  well 
How  best  the  search  to  aid ; 

And  taking  up  the  crystal  gift, 

Of  his,  a mirror  made.” 

The  man  who  would  do  his  best  work  for  another  race 
must  never  use  the  lens,  magnifying  their  faults  and 
weaknesses,  nor  is  it  well  with  mere  justice  to  see  through 
the  pane  too  distinctly  their  foibles  and  blemishes,  but 
remembering  the  mirror,  which  will  show  him  himself, 
with  all  his  idiosyncrasies  and  faults  as  others  see  him. 
Let  him  with  the  eye  of  faith  and  love  see  through  the 
barrier  of  race,  language  and  custom,  the  soul  that  God 
so  loved  that  for  it  He  gave  His  only  Son. 


CHAPTER  II. 


)t  g>eeb  ifeotoing 


(1899-1905) 


CHAPTER  II. 


®fje  i£>eeb  ^otntng 


Method: 

(1) 

Personal  Work: 

a. 

Mr.  Chay, 

b. 

The  Church  Starl 

(2) 

Country  Itinerating: 

a. 

Modes  of  Travel, 

b. 

Food, 

c. 

Preaching, 

d. 

Tracts. 

Gospel  Aids: 

(1)  Village  Life, 

(2)  Markets, 

(3)  Sight-seers. 


3.  Station  Work: 

(1)  Chunju  Medical  Work, 

(2)  Mokpo, 

(3)  New  Missionaries, 

(4)  Korean  Language. 

4.  Medical  Work: 

(1)  Dr.  Oh, 

(2)  Kunsan  Medical  Work, 

(3)  Korean  Diagnosis, 

(4)  Korean  Pharmacopoeia, 

(5)  The  “Honorable  Guest,” 

(6)  Lepers. 

5.  Opening  Kwangju. 

6.  Country  Churches: 

(1)  Leaders, 

(2)  Catechumenate, 

(3)  Membership. 

7.  Close  of  Russo-Japanese  War: 

(1)  Japanese  Immigration, 

(2)  Railroads, 

(3)  Missionary  By-Products  from  War. 


CHAPTER  II. 

®{ )t  i5>eeb  H>otomg 

(1899-1905) 

“In  the  morning  soiv  thy  seed,  and  in  the  evening  withhold 
not  thine  hand ; for  thou  knowest  not  whether  shall  prosper, 
either  this  or  that,  or  whether  they  both  shall  be  alike  good.” — 
Eccl.  11:6. 

“The  field  is  the  world,  the  good  seed  are  the  children 
of  the  Kingdom”  is  what  the  Master  Teacher  taught  by 
the  seaside  nearly  two  thousand  years  ago.  So  this  seed 
sowing  in  the  land  of  Chosen  has  been  the  planting  of  in- 
dividual Christians  here  and  there  in  the  land  until  by  his 
influence  and  life,  the  one  seed  man  often  multiplied  a 
hundred  fold.  Street  preaching  to  crowds  has  not  been 
as  great  a factor  in  the  work  in  Korea  as  elsewhere,  but 
the  work  has  been  done  more  by  a personal  presentation 
of  the  Gospel  to  the  individual  in  the  inn,  on  the  street, 
in  the  country  village,  in  the  “sarang”  or  guest  room, 
where  Korean  men  gather  to  discuss  all  questions  of  busi- 
ness, politics,  gossip  and  ethics.  Thus  the  majority  of 
Korean  converts  have  been  hand-picked,  gathered  by  per- 
sonal work  with  the  individual. 

Merchant  Preaching. — Mr.  Pak  is  a silk  merchant  and 
his  friend  Mr.  Chay  is  an  oil  merchant.  They  go  from 
market  to  market  selling  their  wares,  often  travelling  to- 
gether. One  day  Mr.  Chay  had  a strange  tale  to  tell.  At 
the  market  at  Somni  last  week,  there  was  the  strangest 
sight, — a man  with  a big  nose  and  tight  pants,  telling  a 
strange  story,  the  Jesus  Doctrine.  The  Koreans,  like  the 
Athenians,  are  ever  eager  to  hear  new  things.  So  Mr. 
Chay  not  only  listened  to  what  this  man  said  but  bought 


46 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


one  of  his  books.  Every  time  he  sees  Mr.  Pak  he  has  some- 
thing to  tell  of  this  new  doctrine,  and  at  last  he  announces 
that  it  is  a good  Word  and  he  intends  to  “Do  the  Doc- 
trine,” and  he  wants  his  friend  Mr.  Pak  to  start  the 
Christian  journey  with  him,  and  so  perchance  in  two  vil- 
lages, the  Christian  seed  is  planted. 

Kim,  The  Church  Starter. — We  have  a man  in  the  Mok- 
po  field  we  call  “Kim,  The  Church  Starter.”  He  is  not 
an  educated  man,  his  business  is  making  wooden  shoes. 
The  ordinary  Korean  shoe  is  a rather  graceful  sandal, 
made  of  rice  straw,  but  for  rainy  weather,  they  have  a 
wooden  shoe  made  of  pine.  One  day  when  Mr.  Kim  was 
at  market  selling  his  shoes,  he  met  the  colporteur,  Mr. 
Chay  Kyeng  Wha,  who  gave  him  a tract  and  sold  him  a 


Heathen  Family. 


Christian  Family. 


THE  SEED  SOWING 


47 


Gospel  and  told  him  that  Jesus  the  Son  of  God  was  call- 
ing for  all  who  were  thirsty  to  come  to  Him  and  take  of 
the  water  of  life  freely.  The  story  gripped  him,  and  on 
his  way  home  he  thought  the  matter  over,  stopped  in  to 
worship  with  the  people  at  Pai-kho-dong,  and  decided  to 
accept  the  offer.  Then  in  pursuit  of  his  business,  he  went 
to  the  island  of  Wando,  because  he  heard  wood  was  cheap 
there,  and  renting  himself  a little  room,  proceeded  to 
‘make  wooden  shoes,  and  incidentally  to  tell  about  his 
Saviour.  Soon  word  came  to  the  missionary  to  come  to 
Wando.  There  were  people  there  desiring  to  know  the 
way  of  life.  This  work  has  developed  into  a good  church, 
ready  to  elect  an  elder  and  join  the  ranks  of  the  “or- 
ganized churches.” 

In  the  course  of  time  Mr.  Kim  moved  to  Hainam  and 
the  story  was  repeated.  “The  good  seed  are  the  children 
of  the  Kingdom.” 

Itineration. — By  1899  in  our  three  centers  of  work, 
Kunsan,  Chunju,  and  Mokpo,  we  had  comfortable  homes 
for  our  workers,  and  a few  believers  in  each  place,  and 
the  missionaries  began  to  take  longer  trips  to  the  coun- 
try. Our  work  has  always  been  characterized  by  exten- 
sive itineration.  Workers  leave  home  to  be  gone  three 
and  four  weeks,  visiting  small  groups  of  believers,  visit- 
ing and  establishing  churches ; always  reaching  out  to 
points  not  yet  touched  by  the  Gospel.  The  preparation 
for  these  trips  is  even  at  the  present  time  something  like 
getting  ready  to  go  on  an  extensive  camping  trip.  You 
carry  a camp  cot,  sleeping  pad,  blankets,  a food  box,  con- 
taining canned  goods,  bread,  coffee,  or  cocoa,  and  other 
necessary  eatables,  and  vessels  with  which  to  cook  what 
you  don’t  cook  before  leaving  home,  a valise  with  clothes 
and  books  and  tracts,  and  always  insect  powder. 

The  Jik-y. — All  these  are  placed  on  a jik-y,  the  Korean 
carrying  frame,  which  is  almost  ideal  in  its  construction. 
The  “jik-y”  is  as  peculiarly  Korean  as  “hot-tamales” 


48 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


are  Mexican,  or  “ jinrikisha”  Japanese.  It  is  a wooden 
frame  that  fits  on  the  back,  with  arms  that  project  back- 
ward to  hold  the  load,  and  padded  loops  into  which  the 
coolie  slips  his  arms  and  fits  the  jik-y  over  his  shoulders. 
It  is  so  constructed  that  the  weight  is  distributed  over  his 
hips,  back  and  shoulders,  and  a man  can  carry  three  hun- 
dred pounds  for  a considerable  distance.  The  average 
coolie  will  carry  one  hundred  pounds  thirty  miles  a day 
on  his  jik-y.  If  man  has  to  be  the  beast  of  burden,  the- 
jik-y  is  certainly  an  ideal  equipment. 

Mode  of  Living. — The  missionary,  while  in  the  coun- 
try, cooks  on  a charcoal  brazier,  and  usually  his  load 
coolie  is  also  his  cook.  This  “ brazier”  is  usually  made 
out  of  one-half  of  a five-gallon  oil  can  that  John  D.  Rocke- 
feller has  made  ready  for  use.  But  I hear  some  say, 
“Why  not  eat  with  the  Koreans?”  “Why  does  he  have 
to  carry  bedding  and  food?”  A few  missionaries  have 
tried  to  live  like  the  Koreans.  I visited  the  grave  of  one 
not  long  ago,  who  did,  and  his  memory  is  still  kept  green 
by  the  Koreans,  but  he  did  not  live  to  preach  the  Gospel 
very  long. 

A few,  like  Paul,  with  frail  body  and  little  strength, 
may,  notwithstanding,  be  able  to  found  a Galatian  church 
and  preach  the  Gospel  to  utmost  parts,  but  most  will  be 
invalided  home. 

Speaking  of  Pillows. — Korean  homes  are  inhabited,  not 
only  by  women  and  children  and  men  and  babies,  but  also 
by  things  that  creep  and  crawl  and  sting  and  bite.  Ko- 
reans themselves  sleep  on  a stone  floor,  with  a high  wooden 
pillow.  Now  we  might  get  accustomed  to  sleeping  on  a 
stone  floor,  but  I am  afraid  we  might  perhaps  be  like  that 
farmer’s  horse,  whose  master  had  just  gotten  him  edu- 
cated to  the  point  of  doing  without  food  when  he  died. 
A bachelor  missionary  friend,  who  was  doing  light  house- 
keeping in  a house  with  the  heated  Korean  floor,  had  some 
fine  cans  of  fruit,  that  he  had  imported  at  special  expense. 


THE  SEED  SOWING 


49 


He  was  called  to  Seoul  on  business  and  left  his  Korean 
boy  in  charge  of  the  home.  Returning  one  night  unex- 
pectedly to  the  boy,  imagine  his  feelings  when  he  looked 
in  and  saw  on  the  floor  a half  dozen  boys,  sound  asleep, 
each  greasy  head  reposing  peacefully  on  a can  of  that 
special  fruit.  Fruit  was  not  the  only  thing  that  got  hot 
that  night. 

Food. — As  for  Korean  food,  the  chief  thing  of  course 
is  rice.  The  Koreans  have  as  many  names  for  rice  as  the 
Arabian  has  for  horse,  and  rice  means  to  Koreans  what 
baked  beans  mean  to  Bostonians  or  hot  biscuit  to  South- 
erners. But  with  rice  he  must  have  “kim-chi,”  a kind  of 
pickled  sauer-kraut,  very  hot  with  red  pepper.  You  do 
not  have  to  see  a dish  of  kimchi  to  know  it  is  there.  One 
of  my  friends  had  a part  of  a closet  torn  out  searching 
for  the  rodent  she  was  sure  had  died  in  the  wall,  before 
she  traced  the  odor  to  the  girl’s  school  supply  of  kimchi 
for  the  winter,  which  she  had  allowed  to  be  stored  in 
her  cellar.' 

Koreans  also  eat  a quantity  of  dried  fish,  and  some 
beans  and  pickled  turnips  #and  a kind  of  water-cress. 
Usually  at  a Korean  feast  I tell  my  friends  that  I like 
hard  boiled  eggs  best,  served  with  the  shells  still  on  them. 

Mistaken  Identity. — Koreans  also  eat  dog  meat.  Here 
we  tell  a joke  on  one  of  our  hospitable  North  Caro- 
linians. They  had  an  English  traveler  as  guest  in  the 
home,  and  the  mistress  of  the  manse  was  proud  of  her 
new  dish  for  supper,  a meat  loaf  seasoned  with  celery. 
We  missionaries  get  into  the  habit  of  using  Korean  words 
in  our  English  conversation.  “Pup”  in  Korean  means 
“Law,”  “rule”  or  “recipe”;  so  the  head  of  the  home, 
seeing  this  new  dish,  jokingly  inquired  of  his  wife,  “Dear, 
where  did  you  get  this  pup?”  She  replied  that  a neigh- 
bor had  given  it  to  her.  The  guest  declined,  under  plea 
of  headache,  to  partake  of  much  dinner. 


Market  Scene  in  Korea. 


THE  SEED  SOWING 


51 


Country  Trip. — So  our  itinerator,  and  coolie  loaded 
with  bedding  and  food,  .accompanied  also  by  a Korean 
Christian,  who  is  to  act  as  partner  and  helper,  starts  for 
the  country.  Some  travel  a-foot,  some  on  donkeys,  some 
on  horses,  some  on  bicycles  and  some  have  a “Smith 
Pusher.”  In  the  early  days  a bicycle  was  a great  asset. 
The  village  boys  would  cry,  “Here  comes  a man  riding 
his  spectacles.”  Soon  a crowd  would  collect  and  the  mis- 
sionary and  his  helper  would  tell  the  simple  story  of  the 
Cross,  sell  copies  of  the  Gospels  and  distribute  tracts.  Dr. 
S.  A.  Moffett  had  prepared  a tract  in  which  Mr.  Wun 
wants  to  tell  Mr.  Chang  the  Plan  of  Salvation.  Mr.  Chang 
does  not  understand  such  terms  as  “Holy  Spirit,”  “Pray- 
er,” “Salvation  by  Faith,”  and  “Trinity;”  so  Mr.  Wun 
in  “The  Two  Friends”  simply  but  plainly  explains  their 
meaning.  This  and  other  tracts  by  Drs.  Underwood  and 
Reynolds  were  widely  used. 

Gospel  Aids. — Three  things  helped  to  sow  the  seed  so 
widely.  One  was  that  Korea  is  an  agricultural  country 
and  the  people  live  in  villages.  You  will  rarely  see  a farm 
house,  off  to  itself,  but  all  over  the  country  are  clusters  of 
little  straw  thatched  houses,  making  a village  of  some 
fifty  or  more  families,  with  their  rice  fields,  or  “nones”, 
near  enough  to  cultivate.  Factories,  as  they  are  known 
in  the  West,  have  been,  up  to  the  present  time,  unknown 
in  Korea,  but  we  now  hear  rumors  of  cotton  factories, 
and  in  a few  places  large  plants  have  been  erected  for  silk 
culture,  and  hundreds  of  girls  are  employed. 

Cotton,  linen  and  silk  weaving  have  been  carried  on 
by  individuals  in  the  home.  The  Koreans  make  beautiful 
soft  white  silk  and  a fine  grade  of  linen  that  wears  well. 

Market. — Their  system  of  markets  also  has  helped  to 
spread  the  Good  Tidings.  The  traveler  passing  through 
the  interior  of  Korea,  wonders  where  the  people  get  their 
various  wares,  for  the  shops  are  few  and  the  assortment 
of  goods  not  varied.  If  he  happens  along  on  “Chang 


52 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


nal”,  market  day,  he  will  understand.  Every  five  days 
the  artisan,  merchant,  farmer,  and  others,  for  miles  around 
will  gather  there,  bringing  their  wares  and  produce  to 
barter  or  sell.  Straw  covered  booths  are  erected  and  to 
the  uninitiated  it  looks  almost  like  a riot  was  in  progress 
as  pigs  squeal,  cows  low,  chickens  squawk,  and  men  grow 
excited  in  the  scramble  to  be  the  first  to  sell  their  wares. 
It  is  like  a hundred  exciting  auction  sales  going  on  at 
once.  These  market  days  gave  fine  opportunities  for 
preaching,  distributing  tracts  and  selling  the  Gospels. 
Many  a Korean  first  heard  of  Christ  on  market  day.  Mr. 
Harrison  induced  the  little  band  of  Christians  in  Chunju 
to  contribute  to  the  erection  and  support  of  two  sheds  at 
market  for  preaching  to  the  great  crowds  that  assembled 
there  every  fifth  day. 

Sight-seers. — Another  means  by  which  the  Gospel  has 
spread  has  been  the  curiosity  of  the  Koreans.  There  is 
hardly  a day  that  you  do  not  hear  some  one  coughing  or 
clearing  his  throat  on  your  front  porch.  This  is  the  way 
a Korean  announces  his  arrival.  Of  course  the  homes 
have  no  door  bells  and  they  could  not  knock  on  paper 
doors,  so  they  stand  and  clear  their  throats  at  intervals 
till  you  come,  and  then  frequently  you  hear  the  words, 
“Koo-gyung  harra  wasso,”  we  have  come  for  a sight-see. 
Anything  will  be  a sight-see.  My  work  basket  with  its 
silver  thimble  and  thread  on  wooden  spools  is  very  inter- 
esting. Korean  thimbles  are  pretty  little  embroidered 
caps  that  sit  on  your  front  finger  and  remind  you  that 
the  German  name  of  thimble,  “finger-hat,”  is  a good  one. 
Their  thread  comes  in  hanks. 

They  dearly  love  to  see  me  send  up  our  window  shades, 
only  I often  have  to  explain  to  country  women  that  there 
is  no  spirit  living  in  the  shade  that  enables  it  to  travel 
that  way,  that  it  is  just  a machine.  After  you  have  given 
them  a short  sight-see,  they  will  sit  contentedly  around 
on  the  floor  and  listen  to  you  tell  them  about  Christ.  Often 


THE  SEED  SOWING 


53 


they  will  ask  questions,  and  I have  spent  three  hours  with 
a group  of  eager,  interested  sight-seers.  It  is  a wonder- 
ful chance  to  reach  the  women.  Tracts  are  given  as  they 
leave,  and  the  itinerator  often  meets  these  tracts  in  far 
off  country  villages. 

Mischievous  Girl. — One  of  my  school  girls  played  a 
trick  on  some  sight-seers,  that  was  worthy  of  an  American 
college  girl.  Her  father  was  the  wealthiest  man  in  his 
village,  and  he  was  the  first  man  to  send  his  daughter 
Ingyung,  off  to  boarding  school.  When  he  came  to  take 
Ingyung  home,  Mr.  Kim  bought  a clock  that  would  strike, 
a new  thing  also  in  his  section.  The  morning  after  they 
reached  home,  the  heathen  neighbors  crowded  in  to  see 
Ingyung.  They  spied  the  clock  and  asked  what  it  was. 
The  girl  mischievously  informed  them  that  it  was  the 
house  where  the  new  Guardian  Spirit  lived,  and  that 
this  spirit  possessed  great  power.  It  would  come  out  and 
call  and  as  often  as  it  called  they  must  bow  down  to  it. 
Soon  the  clock  struck  nine.  All  counted  anxiously,  and, 
then  in  true  Korean  fashion,  proceeded  to  “chul-how,” 
bend  until  the  head  touches  the  floor,  nine  times  to  this 
honorable  spirit,  which  surely  had  new  and  wonderful 
power.  Ingyung  had  just  moved  the  clock’s  hands  to 
strike  ten  and  had  her  guests  prostrated  on  the  floor, 
when  her  horrified  father  came  in,  and  explanations  were 
in  order. 

Elder. — This  same  Mr.  Kim  is  now  an  elder  in  our 
church.  He  is  just  a plain  country  farmer.  He  was  asked, 
“What  is  the  real  ground  of  your  salvation?  Are  you 
saved  because  you  decided  to  believe,  or  are  you  saved 
because  God  chose  you  to  salvation?”  Now  Mr.  Kim  has 
had  no  theological  training,  but  has  attended  some  of  our 
Bible  Study  Classes,  and  so  the  question  was  asked  more 
that  the  missionary  might  explain  our  Church’s  stand 
on  this  question  to  a prospective  elder,  than  with  any 
idea  that  Mr.  Kim  would  answer.  But  he  paused  and 


54 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


thought  and  then  replied,  “I  am  saved  because  God  chose 
me  to  salvation,  otherwise  I would  have  something  of 
which  to  boast.  ” Our  Korean  Christians  are  good,  clear 
thinkers. 

Medical  Work. — In  September,  1897,  Dr.  Mattie  In- 
gold, now  Mrs.  L,  B.  Tate,  joined  the  workers  in  Chunju 
and  opened  up  medical  work  in  a little  native  house.  Her 
treatment  of  the  women  and  children  was  of  incalculable 
help  in  removing  prejudice  and  misconceptions,  and  in 
securing  a hearing  for  the  Gospel.  “A  medical  mission- 
ary is”  indeed  “a  missionary  and  a half.”  When  suffering 
has  been  relieved,  it  is  easy  to  listen  to  the  words  of  the 
one  who  has  brought  healing.  One  poor  woman,  to  whom 
Dr.  Ingold  had  brought  relief  from  intense  pain,  said  to 
her,  ‘ ‘ Can  you  not  give  my  husband  some  medicine  to  make 
him  stop  drinking?  He  drinks  a great  deal  and  beats  me 
and  the  children  so  much  that  it  is  hard  to  live.”  “Yes,” 
said  Dr.  Ingold,  “I  have  come  to  Korea  to  bring  your 
husband  that  medicine,  the  Gospel.  If  he  will  only  eat  its 
teachings  he  will  never  again  beat  you  or  the  children.” 
So  the  poor  woman  went  home  comforted,  to  try  to  per- 
suade her  husband  to  go  to  the  services  in  the  little  church 
and  learn  of  the  Great  Physician. 

The  little  dispensary,  with  its  tender,  consecrated  doc- 
tor, was  soon  “A  light  set  on  a hill,”  and  many  who  sat 
in  darkness  saw  its  gleam  from  afar  and  were  led  to  the 
Savior. 

Village  Work. — Chunju  and  Kunsan  now  had  good 
local  congregations,  and  many  farmers  came  in  from  the 
outlying  villages.  Often  men  would  walk  in  fifteen  or 
twenty  miles  to  attend  services,  starting  Saturday  and 
returning  Monday  to  their  villages.  It  was  natural  for 
them  to  talk  to  their  fellow  villagers  about  what  they 
had  seen  and  heard  and  also  to  invite  the  missionary  to 
visit  their  community. 


THE  SEED  SOWING 


55 


Great  Personal  Worker. — Mr.  Junkin  accompanied  by 
Dr.  Drew  made  itinerating  trips  among  the  islands  in  Kun- 
san  territory.  Mr.  Junkin  was  perhaps  the  greatest  per- 
sonal worker  of  his  day.  He  combined  with  great  elo- 
quence and  a fluent  command  of  the  language,  a warm 
and  sympathetic  disposition  and  a most  engaging  manner 
with  the  Koreans.  It  was  his  delight,  from  the  first,  to 
visit  and  talk  with  them  in  their  sarangs  (guest-rooms). 
I was  a new  missionary  when  the  Great  Captain  of  our 
forces  called  this  consecrated  soldier  to  lay  down  his 
armor,  and  I shall  never  forget  the  impression  made  upon 
me  by  one  remark.  The  question  was  raised  as  to  whether 
Koreans  indiscriminately  should  be  allowed  to  go  into 
the  room  and  look  at  Mr.  Junkin ’s  body  before  his  burial. 
It  was  feared  by  some  that  a crowd  might  come  from  idle 
curiosity,  but  a pioneer  missionary  promptly  answered, 
“Mr.  Junkin  was  never  so  tired  or  busy  that  he  refused 
to  see  a Korean  in  life,  so  why  should  he  be  denied  them 
now?”;  and  as  I saw  the  Koreans  stand  gazing  with  tear- 
dimmed  eyes  at  his  beloved  form,  I realized  something  of 
what  he  meant  in  the  letter  written  only  a few  weeks 
before,  when  he  vehemently  protested  against  any  one  call- 
ing the  missionary  life  one  of  sacrifice,  “It  is  the  life  of 
greatest  love  and  greatest  happiness.” 

Mokpo. — The  Mokpo  work  was  strengthened  in  1900  by 
the  marriage  of  Dr.  C.  C.  Owen  to  Miss  Georgiana  Whiting, 
M.  D.,  a most  experienced  and  efficient  worker  in  the  North- 
ern Presbyterian  Mission.  Here  too  our  local  congrega- 
tion was  growing,  and  the  country  villages  were  being 
visited,  when  God  in  His  strange  providence  called  Home 
Mrs.  Lottie  Witherspoon  Bell.  Mr.  Bell  returned  to  Amer- 
ica with  his  two  little  motherless  children,  and  soon  after, 
Dr.  Owen,  on  account  of  business  and  health  reasons,  was 
obliged  to  return  home.  Mokpo  Station  was  on  the  point 
of  being  closed,  but  the  Reynolds  moved  there  in  1902, 
where  they  remained  until  Mr.  Bell’s  return  the  same 


(1)  Self-Help  Students,  Girls’  School,  Mokpo. 

(2)  Girls’  School,  Mokpo,  114  Students,  September,  1919. 

(3)  French  Memorial  Hospital  and  Dispensary,  Mokpo. 


THE  SEED  SOWING 


57 


fall,  when  they  moved'  to  Seoul,  in  order  that  Mr.  Rey- 
nolds could  be  in  better  touch  with  the  other  members  of 
the  Bible  Translation  Board. 

The  New  Missionary. — Rev.  L.  0.  McCutchen,  who  had 
just  arrived  on  the  field,  spent  that  winter  with  Mr.  Bell, 
wrestling  with  the  Korean  language.  The  first  two  years 
a missionary  spends  on  the  field  are  given  over  largely 
to  the  language,  for  we  do  our  work  with  the  people  di- 
rectly and  not  through  interpreters.  The  new  man  soon 
learns  to  pronounce  the  benediction  and  lead  the  sing- 
ing, but  few  can  really  preach  till  they  have  been  on  the 
field  two  full  years,  although  nearly  all  do  some  kind  of 
teaching  the  second  year.  The  first  year  men  always  get 
the  pleasant  job,  too,  of  Station  Secretaryship,  fence 
mending,  teaching  English  in  schools,  etc.  I am  sorry  for 
the  new-comer  who  is  not  willing  to  suffer  all  things  for 
the  Master,  for  these  first  two  years.  Distance  has  ceased 
to  lend  enchantment  to  the  mission  scene.  The  streets  are 
dirty  and  the  smells  many  and  dreadful,  the  heathen  un- 
attractive in  their  sin  and  filth,  fellow  workers  are  not  the 
saints  he  thought  all  missionaries  were,  forgetting  that 
if  sanctification  were  a necessity  for  the  mission  life  he 
himself  would  not  be  numbered  among  the  missionary 
family. 

Loneliness. — The  missionary  in  the  initial  years  of  ser- 
vice cannot  too  often  be  remembered  by  the  home  church 
in  prayer.  The  strain  of  life  in  the  Orient  in  a lonely 
station,  where  there  are  only  one  or  two  families,  and  no 
mental  diversions;  where  you  seem  to  have  sounded  the 
height  and  depth  of  your  companion’s  mental  and  spiritual 
nature,  has  been  vividly  and  repeatedly  described  by  Kip- 
ling in  his  tales  of  army  life  in  India.  The  same  is  true  of 
any  life  in  a lonely  Oriental  place.  There  is  always  danger 
of  “grooviness”  in  work  and  in  spirit.  There  is  a stale- 
ness in  daily  associations  when  you  meet  only  the  same 


58 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


few  people  day  in  and  day  out  for  several  years.  We  do 
indeed  need  to  say, 

“For  this  thing  only  do  I pray, 

Oh  God,  let  not  my  soul  grow  gray.” 

Language  Study. — We  see  so  much  around  us  to  be 
done  that  it  is  hard  to  spend  those  necessary  days  in  lan- 
guage study  with  a so-called  “teacher,”  for  in  reality 
no  Korean  knows  anything  of  pedagogy,  and  our  teachers 
are  often  kept  awake  with  difficulty.  All  educated 
Chinese,  Japanese,  and  Koreans  understand  the  written 
Chinese  ideograph.  For  instance  the  character  for  “man” 
conveys  the  idea  to  any  educated  person  of  the  three 
races,  but  the  Chinese  will  call  it  “nin”,  the  Japanese 
“Hito”  and  the  Korean  “Saram.”  It  is  funny  to  see  a 
Korean  and  Japanese  communicate  with  each  other 
through  the  medium  of  the  written  Chinese  characters  and 
not  able  to  understand  a word  of  each  other’s  language 
when  spoken ; but  I have  often  seen  it  done. 

Chinese. — Chinese  bears  the  same  relationship  to  Ko- 
rean that  Latin  does  to  English,  for  China  has  furnished 
the  philosophical,  technical,  scientific,  and  religious  ter- 
minology. 

Native  Vernacular. — Korea  has  an  alphabet  of  her  own 
consisting  of  twenty-five  letters,  fourteen  consonants  and 
eleven  vowels,  which  is  extremely  simple  and  very  easily 
learned.  I have  taught  several  Korean  women  to  read 
their  Bibles  in  a week  in  “eunmun,”  or  native  script.  But 
for  a foreigner  to  learn  to  speak  the  Korean  language  is 
another  thing.  It  has  no  pronouns,  gender,  number,  or 
abstract  terms  as  we  understand  them ; and  yet  it  is  a 
most  definite  language.  You  can’t  have  just  a brother, 
the  word  used  shows  whether  he  is  older  or  younger  than 
you  are.  When  you  tell  about  the  Prodigal  Son  we  Ameri- 
cans “put”  his  new  clothes  on  him,  but  the  Korean  “ip-u” 


THE  SEED  SOWING 


59 


the  best  robe,  “ki-u”  the  ring,  “sin-kiu”  the  shoes;  and 
if  he  were  going  to  put  a hat  on  him,  he  would  “seu-u”  it. 

Grades  of  Talk. — We  have  “honorable  talk”  to  use  to 
your  superior,  “middle  talk"'  for  your  equals,  and  “low 
talk”  to  children  and  servants.  Not  only  are  these  dif- 
ferent endings,  but  often  different  words;  and  nothing  ,’s 
more  absurd  to  an  Oriental  than  for  you  to  use  wrong 
kind  of  talk.  For  instance  when  you  eat,  you  “musko” 
but  your  guest  “chop-su-o.”  Death,  said  to  be  that  great 
leveller  of  all,  does  not  come  to  all  alike,  for  the  child 
“Chook-so,”  while  the  father  “Say-sang-du-nas-so.”  Still 
let  no  one  be  discouraged,  for  hard  work  and  prayer  will 
conquer  even  the  Korean  language. 

Dr.  Alexander. — Kunsan  Station  suffered  a great  loss 
in  1901,  when  Dr.  Drew  was  forced  by  ill  health  to  re- 
turn to  the  homeland.  They  were  nearly  two  years  with- 
out a doctor,  so  it  was  with  great  joy  they  welcomed  the 
coming  of  Dr.  A.  J.  A.  Alexander;  but  the  day  he  landed 
there  was  a cable  awaiting  him  telling  of  the  sudden  death 
of  his  father.  This  necessitated  his  return  to  America. 
Again  Kunsan  was  left  without  a doctor,  although  Dr. 
Mattie  Ingold  was  ever  ready,  and  often  did  make  the 
tiresome  thirty-five  mile  trip  to  Kunsan,  to  attend  the 
sick  and  suffering  there.  Dr.  Alexander  has  never  lost 
his  interest  in  the  Korean  work,  and  at  many  times  has 
strengthened  it  through  his  love,  prayer  and  interest. 

Dr.  Oh. — One  direct  result  of  his  stay  in  Korea,  was 
the  going  of  Mr.  K.  S.  Oh  to  America  to  study  medicine. 
Mr.  Oh  was  a very  bright,  young  man  and  for  some  time 
the  longing  of  his  heart  had  been  to  study  medicine,  that 
he  might  relieve  the  sufferings  of  his  people  and  glorify 
his  Master.  He  spent  five  years  in  America,  and  while 
there  the  burden  of  his  letters  home  was  always  the  same, 
“Teach  the  children,  teach  the  children.”  He  graduated 
in  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  1907,  and  returned  to  Korea  that 


6o 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


fall.  He  has  given  our  mission  twelve  years  of  faithful, 
efficient  service,  first  in  Kunsan  associated  with  Dr.  Dan- 
iel and  later  in  charge  of  our  work  in  Mokpo,  and  since 
1913,  he  has  been  one  of  our  representatives  in  the  Union 
Medical  College  at  Seoul.  No  man  on  the  staff  at  Sever- 
ance is  more  useful,  or  is  of  greater  service  to  the  student 
body  that  Dr.  Oh. 

Dr.  T.  H.  Daniel  and  his  wife  arrived  in  Kunsan  in 
1904,  and  subsequently  built  the  dispensary  and  part  of 
the  present  hospital  . 

Kunsan  Medical  Work. — In  1904  Rev.  A.  M.  Earle  also 
joined  the  Kunsan  force,  and  in  1905  Miss  Ethel  Kestler, 
a trained  nurse,  came  to  help  Dr.  Daniel.  Of  course,  both 
Dr.  Daniel  and  Miss  Kestler  were  advised  to  spend  their 
first  year  in  language  study.  However  to  tell  the  Koreans 
that  a doctor  has  come,  but  that  he  is  not  to  practice,  is 
very  much  like  the  old  nursery  rhyme, 

“Mother  dear,  may  I go  swim? 

Yes,  my  darling  daughter; 

Hang  your  clothes  on  a hickory  limb, 

But  don’t  go  near  the  water.” 

It  is  impossible  to  turn  a deaf  ear  to  the  entreaties  of 
the  sick,  especially  as  each  one  is  certain  he  will  surely 
die,  if  not  treated  at  once. 

Diagnosis. — Koreans  have  implicit  faith  in  medicine, 
and  there  are  a great  many  native  doctors  and  medicine 
venders.  Their  belief  in  evil  spirits  is  seen  in  the  causes 
to  which  sickness  is  attributed.  Mrs.  Su  said  her  child’s 
blindness  was  caused  by  an  evil  spirit ; that  she  had  moved 
into  a new  house  and  failed  to  propitiate  the  guardian 
spirit,  so  it  entered  her  child’s  eyes,  though  she  acknowl- 
edged that  for  three  months  the  child’s  eyes  had  been 
sore,  and  she  was  afraid  to  wash  them  for  fear  of  offend- 
ing the  spirit.  The  number  of  children  blind  from  measles 


THE  SEED  SOWING 


6l 


and  smallpox  is  appalling;  Mothers  will  not  infrequently 
bind  tobacco  or  cow  dung  over  the  poor  weak  eyes,  so 
that  inflammation  sets  up,  and  the  child  becomes  blind. 

Go-Between. — The  Eastern  use  of  a “Go-between/’  not 
doing  anything  directly,  but  always  through  someone  else, 
leads  often  to  funny  complications.  Several  poor,  unfor- 
tunate “Go-betweens”  have  had  perfectly  good  teeth 
pulled,  because  they  seated  themselves  in  the  doctor’s 
chair  and  indicated  the  location  of  the  aching  tooth.  The 
doctor  had  failed  to  grasp  the  fact  that  the  owner  of  the 
aching  tooth  was  thirty  miles  away,  and  this  was  the  go- 
between.  Dr.  Eli  B.  Landis  compiled,  in  1898,  a most  in- 
teresting pharmacopoeia  of  native  Korean  medicines.  I 
wish  I could  quote  at  length  from  this  very  interesting 
book,  but  I will  only  give  a few  examples. 

Korean  Pharmacopoeia. — 1.  Spider’s  Web. — If  this 
web  be  gathered  on  the  seventh  day  of  the  seventh  moon 
and  hung  from  the  collar  of  the  coat,  dangerous  illness  will 
be  avoided.  If  it  be  tied  around  a wart  or  wen,  such  ex- 
crescence will  dry  up  and  disappear. 

2.  Lice. — These  insects  leave  the  body  of  a dying  man. 
To  tell  whether  an  invalid  will  recover  or  not,  place  some 
lice  on  a table  before  him.  If  they  go  to  the  chest  of  the 
invalid,  he  will  recover,  but  if  they  go  to  his  back,  he 
will  die.  If  three  or  four  hundred  black  lice  be  pounded 
up  into  a mass  and  applied  to  scalp  wounds,  such  wounds 
will  heal  rapidly.  This  will  also  cure  ulcers  or  abscesses. 

3.  Scorpions. — The  scorpion’s  entire  body  is  good  for 
medicine,  but  the  tail,  which  contains  the  sting,  is  best  of 
all.  Before  being  used  the  body  should  be  roasted.  It  is 
good  for  all  kinds  of  paralysis  and  convulsions. 

Donkey  Cough. — The  Korean  calls  Whooping  Cough 
“Donkey  cough,”  and  they  think  that  if  you  tie  the  hair 
from  a donkey’s  tail  around  the  child’s  throat,  it  will  be 
much  relieved.  That  is  the  most  literal  application  of 


62 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


“The  hair  of  the  dog  being  good  for  the  bite”  that  1 
have  ever  known.  But  the  great  Korean  remedy  is  the 
“chim”  or  lancet,  a long  villianous  looking  needle.  The 
Korean  will  come  and  affirm  that  you  have  an  evil  spirit 
and  he  will  stick  the  lancet  in  to  let  out  this  spirit.  It  is 
often  stuck  in  the  knee  or  elbow,  resulting  in  the  joint’s 
becoming  stiff. 

The  Honorable  Guest. — They  dread  measles  much  more 
than  they  do  smallpox,  although  they  have  a saying  that 
they  never  count  their  children  till  they  have  all  had 
smallpox.  One  of  the  common  names  for  smallpox  is 
“The  Honorable  Guest,”  for  they  think  a spirit  has  en- 
tered the  patient.  If  they  treat  him  well,  pretend  that 
it  is  a joy  to  have  him,  he  will  probably  not  molest  any 
other  member  of  the  family.  So  they  make  a little  straw 
horse  and  put  it  out  at  the  door,  hoping  to  entice  the 
smallpox  guest  to  ride  away.  A systematic  canvass  for 
vaccination  has,  however,  lessened  the  smallpox  menace. 

Leprosy. — Lepers  we  have  always  with  us;  they  come 
to  our  churches,  they  are  on  the  streets,  in  the  market 
places,  and  the  hotels  and  restaurants.  The  Chinese  have 
a saying,  “Sleep  with  a leper,  but  don’t  go  within  forty 
feet  of  the  itch,”  and  seemingly  the  Koreans  also  have 
but  little  fear  of  this  dread  disease.  Up  to  the  present 
time  there  have  been  almost  no  attempts  at  segregation. 
Mrs.  Reynolds  had  a cook,  We-Ud-y,  who  was  one  of  the 
sweetest  spirited  people  I have  ever  known.  One  day 
when  Dr.  Ingold  was  taking  dinner  with  the  Reynolds 
family,  We-Ud-y  dropped  a dish  and  broke  it.  Mrs.  Rey- 
nolds remarked  that  he  seemed  to  have  grown  careless,  he 
so  often  dropped  things.  After  dinner  Dr.  Ingold  told 
We-Ud-y  to  show  her  his  hands,  and  the  tale  was  told.  We- 
Ud-y  was  a leper.  It  was  the  numbness  creeping  on  him 
that  made  him  drop  the  dishes.  He  thought  he  grasped 
them,  when  he  did  not.  We-Ud-y  lived  several  years,  an 
humble,  sweet  spirited  Christian, — one  of  the  truest  Chris- 


THE  SEED  SOWING 


^3 


tians  I have  ever  known.  I speak  of  him  to  show  that 
even  in  our  homes,  we  are  exposed  sometimes  to  this  dread 
disease,  but  we  know  that, 

“Behind  the  dim  unknown 
Standeth  God  within  the  shadow, 

Keeping  watch  above  His  own.” 

and  we  have  been  protected  in  a wonderful  way. 

Mrs.  Harrison. — In  the  summer  of  1903  the  Chunju 
work  suffered  an  irreparable  loss  in  the  death  from  typhus 
fever,  of  Mrs.  Harrison,  who  contracted  the  disease  visit- 
ing a sick  Korean  woman.  From  the  day  she  went  to 
Chunju  and  found  it  a city  given  over  to  idolatry,  her 
heart  had  been  stirred  within  her,  and  she  had  labored  un- 
ceasingly for  the  women  and  children. 

Chunju  Personnel  Changed. — In  1904  there  was  a no- 
table change  in  the  personnel  of  Chunju.  Mr.  Junkin, 
who  was  threatened  with  a return  of  his  old  enemy,  dysen- 
tery, was  taken  out  of  the  strenuous  itinerating  at  Kun- 
san  and  sent  to  Chunju  to  take  charge  of  the  city  work, 
while  Mr.  Harrison  took  Mr.  Junkin ’s  place  in  Kunsan. 

Dr.  Forsythe. — This  same  year  there  came  to  Chunju 
a personal  worker  to  whom  even  Mr.  Junkin  had  to  yield 
precedence,  Dr.  W.  H.  Forsythe,  the  most  unique,  pic- 
turesque and  withal  one  of  the  most  lovable  workers  the 
Mission  has  ever  possessed.  There  immediately  sprang  up 
between  these  two  men  a devotion  that  was  beautiful  to 
behold,  for  the  soul  of  Jonathan  was  knit  to  the  soul  of 
David,  and  they  labored  mightily  together  for  souls.  Dr. 
Forsythe,  though  a skillful  physician  and  devoted  to  his 
profession,  was  never  so  happy  as  when  he  was  out  in  the 
market  places  and  inn  preaching  to  the  people.  He  was 
essentially  “a  man  with  a message,”  and  a consuming  de- 
sire to  deliver  that  message,  and  both  in  Chunju  and 


64 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


Mokpo,  where  he  afterwards  labored,  the  stimulus  which 
he  imparted  to  the  evangelistic  work  is  felt  to  this  day. 

Attacked  by  Robbers. — After  eighteen  months’  work 
in  Chunju,  Dr.  Forsythe  was  called  to  the  country  one 
day  to  see  a man  who  had  been  badly  injured  by  robbers. 
After  treating  the  case,  it  was  too  late  for  him  to  return 
home  that  night.  While  he  was  asleep  the  robbers  re- 
turned, and  mistaking  his  foreign  clothes  for  those  of  a 
policeman,  they  cut  him  up  badly  and  left  him  for  dead. 
There  is  little  doubt  that  he  would  have  been  killed,  had 
not  the  Korean  mistress  of  the  home  protected  his  sup- 
posedly dead  body  with  her  own.  It  was  found  that  he 
had  received  a laceration  through  the  ear  and  head  that 
was  slow  in  healing,  and  he  had  to  return  to  America  to 
regain  his  health.  So  Chunju  after  waiting  ten  years  for 
a physician,  who  could  work  among  the  men  and  boys, 
again  had  to  make  a fresh  start  with  Dr.  Ingold,  who  had 
decided  she  could  work  best  by  helping  Mr.  Tate,  and  had 
become  Mrs.  Tate. 

Mokpo. — The  fall  of  1903  saw  Mokpo  reinforced  by 
the  arrival  of  Rev.  J.  F.  Preston  and  wife.  In  1904  Mr. 
Bell  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  W.  Bull,  of  Norfolk, 
Virginia,  who  joined  the  workers  at  Mokpo.  It  was  not 
long  before  the  consciousness  of  this  Station  became 
aroused  to  the  importance  of  opening  a Station  in  the  in- 
terior. The  work  was  spreading  rapidly  sixty  miles  to 
the  northeast,  near  Kwangju,  and  it  was  evident  that 
Mokpo  could  never  be  the  center  of  the  entire  South 
Cliulla  work.  After  much  discussion,  it  was  decided  by 
the  Mission  to  purchase  land  at  Kwangju,  the  capital  of 
South  Chulla  Province,  and  move  the  workers  to  this 
centre,  temporarily  closing  Mokpo  Station,  till  we  could 
get  enough  workers  from  the  homeland  to  man  both 
Kwangju  and  Mokpo.  Thus,  for  four  years,  Mokpo  had 
no  resident  missionary,  although  Mr.  Preston  visited  there 
and  superintended  the  work  from  Kwangju. 


THE  SEED  SOWING 


65 


Kwangju. — In  buying  land  and  making  preparations 
for  the  new  Station,  Drs.  Owen  and  Bell  had  valuable  as- 
sistance in  the  person  of  Mr.  Y.  S.  Kim.  As  early  as  1900 
he  had  asked  for  church  membership,  but  was  refused  ad- 
mission into  the  catechumenate  class  because  he  made  and 
sold  wine. 

Y.  S.  Kim. — His  aged  mother  had  a thorn  in  her  fin- 
ger; it  festered  and  gave  her  a great  deal  of  trouble,  so 
her  son  hearing  of  Dr.  Owen’s  work  in  Mokpo,  went  with 
his  mother  to  have  the  thorn  removed.  We  cannot  but 
think  of  the  great  Apostle  Paul,  whose  “thorn  in  the 
flesh”  was  such  a means  of  grace,  for  this  time,  the  re- 
moving of  the  thorn  led  to  Mr.  Kim’s  hearing  of  the 
Great  Physician  and  deciding  to  trust  Him.  He  was  then 
a man  of  about  forty,  a vigorous  thinker,  and  one  not 
easily  turned  from  his  purpose ; so  he  went  home,  read  his 
Bible,  sold  his  wine  shop,  taught  not  only  his  wife  but  his 
mother-in-law  to  read;  and  again  appeared  for  church 
membership.  This  time  he  was  received  as  a catechumen, 
and  some  six  months  later  he  was  baptized.  Mr.  Kim 
readily  arranged  his  business  so  that  he  could  give  a large 
part  of  his  time  to  preaching  to  others  and  to  the  work 
of  the  church  without  remuneration.  He  was  enthusias- 
tic over  opening  work  at  Kwangju,  and  moved  there  with 
Dr.  Owen  and  Mr.  Bell,  and  for  a number  of  years  was 
invaluable  as  business  manager  for  the  missionaries  in 
their  dealings  with  the  Koreans.  He  was  elected  church 
“Leader,”  then  “Temporary  Deacon”  and  later  elder  in 
the  Kwangju  church.  He  was  one  of  the  first  men  to  catch 
a vision  of  education  for  his  daughters,  and  even  before 
our  school  was  opened,  he  was  constantly  urging  us  to 
start  a school  for  girls.  He  educated  both  his  daughters, 
and  for  twenty  years  his  home  has  been  a beacon  light. 
In  March,  1919,  he  went  Home,  trusting  his  Savior  to  the 
last.  It  was  his  pleasure  to  see  the  Kwangju  congregation 
grow  from  nothing  to  three  hundred,  many  of  whom  he 
himself  had  led  to  the  Savior. 


66 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


Ten  Years,  Then  What? — In  the  fall  of  1903,  about  ten 
years  after  we  had  commenced  work  in  the  Land  of  the 
Morning  Calm,  we  had  in  Kunsan  field  five  missionaries, 
eight  places  where  people  were  meeting  to  worship  and 
162  baptized  members. 

In  Mokpo  there  were  three  workers,  five  meeting  places 
and  twenty-seven  baptized  members.  Chunju  statistics 
read  as  follows : 


Missionaries . 5 

Churches,  imperfectly  organized : 3 

Average  Sunday  attendance 250 

Communicants  received  during  the  year 30 

Total  communicants  79 

Catechumens  received  during  the  year 40 

Total  catechumens 90 

Contributions,  642  “Nyang,”  about $50.00 


This  may  seem  but  a small  beginning,  but  when  we  re- 
member that  Carey  waited  seven  years  before  lie  had  the 
joy  of  baptizing  the  first  convert,  we  cannot  but  be  grate- 
ful to  the  Lord  of  the  Harvest  for  these  first  fruits. 

As  these  country  groups  grew  they  found  it  necessary 
to  secure  a larger  house,  either  by  purchase  or  gift  of  some 
well-to-do  man,  or  by  building  a little  chapel.  In  the 
course  of  time  examinations  were  held  twice  a year  by 
the  missionary  on  his  preaching  trips  at  each  meeting 
place. 

Church  Leader. — A leader  of  each  group  would  be 
chosen,  too,  by  the  missionary,  in  consultation  with  the 
Christians  at  each  place.  This  was  a local  man  and  he 
in  a way  looked  after  that  little  band  of  Christians;  he 
served  without  pay,  and  it  was  his  duty  to  see  that  ser- 
vices were  held  every  Sabbath,  and  every  prayer-meeting 
night.  He  did  not  always  lead  himself  ; he  often  asked 


THE  SEED  SOWING  67 

some  other  man  in  the  community,  but  his  was  the  re- 
sponsibility. 

The  Catechumenate. — The  experience  of  the  workers 
in  the  Northern  Presbyterian  Church  has  been  of  great 
benefit  to  us,  and  they  had  found  the  Catechumenate  a 
helpful  feature  in  their  work,  so  from  the  first,  we  adopted 
it. 

Catechumen  Examination.— Anyone  who  had  given 
up  his  heathen  practices  and  had  attended  church  three 
months  might  be  received  into  the  catechumenate  upon 
examination.  The  Leader  of  the  church  is  present  to  as- 
sist the  missionary  with  his  knowledge  of  the  candidate’s 
character.  The  church  roll  showing  the  candidate’s  church 
attendance,  is  frequently  consulted,  and  no  one  is  ex- 
amined who  has  not  been  attending  regularly  for  at  least 
three  months.  After  some  preliminary  questions  as  to 
age,  family,  and  occupation,  questions  to  discover  his 
knowledge  of  and  faith  in  his  Savior  are  asked,  such  as 
the  following: 

Why  do  you  want  to  become  a Christian? 

What  were  some  of  the  sins  you  needed  to  have  forgiven  ? 
Have  you  been  forgiven,  and  what  proof  have  you  that 
you  have  been  forgiven? 

Through  whom? 

Who  is  Jesus? 

Where  was  He  born? 

Who  was  His  mother?  Who  was  His  father?  (Ans.  “God” 
is  required.) 

Who  is  Jesus  in  His  relation  to  you? 

How  did  He  become  your  Savior? 

Was  He  a sinner? 

Why  did  He  die  as  one  guilty? 

Did  He  absolutely  perish  ? 

Where  is  He  now? 

Will  He  return  to  the  world? 


68 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


When,  and  for  what? 

Where  does  the  Christian  go  at  death  ? 

Where  does  the  non-Christian  go  at  death? 

If  you  were  to  die  to-night,  where  would  you  go  and 
why? 

Can  you  recite  the  ten  commandments  and  the  Lord’s 
Prayer  ? 

Do  you  pray  daily?  How  often  each  day? 

In  whose  name  do  you  pray? 

Have  you  given  up  all  worship  of  spirits  ? 

Do  you  read  your  Bible  daily? 

How  much  have  you  read  consecutively? 

Have  you  done  any  personal  work,  told  anyone  about 
Jesus? 

The  Catechumenate  system  has  been  found  to  encour- 
age new  believers  and  secure  better  oversight  and  more 
thorough  instruction  before  reception  into  the  church. 

If  the  answers  are  satisfactory  both  as  to  character 
and  knowledge,  then  the  candidate  is  enrolled  as  a pro- 
bationer (catechumen),  and  six  months  later  he  can  take 
the  examination  for  baptism,  which  will  probably  be  some- 
thing like  the  following : 

Baptismal  Examination. — 

Since  you  became  a catechumen,  have  you  found  joy  in 
believing  ? Why  ? 

Have  you  kept  the  Sabbath?  Tell  how  you  have  ob- 
served it. 

Do  you  have  family  worship  ? 

Do  you  drink  sool  (beer)  and  have  it  in  the  home? 

Do  you  give  it  to  the  day  laborers  who  work  for  you? 

Is  it  right  for  a man  to  have  two  wives? 

Is  it  right  to  marry  an  unbeliever? 

Are  you  a sinner? 

Can  anything  sinful  enter  Heaven  ? 


THE  SEED  SOWING 


69 


Then  how  do  you  expect -to  get  there? 

Is  there  any  other  way  than  by  the  Cross  of  Christ? 

Are  the  spirits  to  be  feared?  Why  not? 

What  are  the  ordinances  of  the  church? 

What  is  the  meaning  of  baptism?  Who  administers  it 
and  in  whose  name? 

With  what  does  he  administer  it? 

Is  baptism  necessary  for  salvation? 

Then  why  do  you  seek  baptism  ? 

What  is  the  purpose  of  the  Lord’s  Supper? 

What  does  the  bread  signify?  The  wine? 

Who  should  partake  of  the  sacrament? 

In  what  spirit  should  one  partake  of  the  Lord’s  Supper? 
Have  you  led  anyone  to  Christ  ? 

Personal  Work  as  Evidence  of  Faith. — The  Korean 
Christians  themselves  set  the  standard  that  those  who  are 
not  doing  personal  work  in  trying  to  bring  others  to  Christ, 
do  not  show  sufficient  evidence  of  their  faith  to  warrant 
their  admission  to  the  church.  This  has  helped  to  de- 
velop a church  all  on  fire  with  evangelistic  zeal,  volun- 
tarily going  forth  to  spread  the  news  and  to  win  people 
to  Christ. 

It  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  a man  to  arrange  his  busi- 
ness affairs  so  as  to  give  a stated  part  of  his  time  to 
preaching  without  remuneration. 

Mr.  Sin. — Mr.  Tate  passed  through  the  village  of 
Kwang-dong  preaching.  After  the  services,  Mr.  Sin  a 
fine  looking  young  man  lingered  to  ask  questions.  Mr. 
Sin  had  the  long  tapering  finger  nails  so  dear  to  the  Ko- 
rean, who  toils  not  but  is  arrayed  in  all  the  glory  of 
spotless  white  linen  coat  and  trousers,  made  spotless  by 
the  unceasing  toil  of  that  lower  being,  his  wife.  Mr.  Sin 
was  so  interested  that  he  bought  a Bible  and  the  next 
spring,  when  Mr.  Tate  visited  Kwang-dong  Mr.  Sin  and 
two  others  were  admitted  into  the  catechumenate. 


7 O DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 

When  he  came  up  for  the  baptismal  examination,  the 
missionary  noticed  that  his  hands  were  rough,  his  nails 
stubby  and  ugly;  he  had  every  appearance  of  having 
broken  away  from  the  class  of  the  idle  rich.  Mr.  Tate 
inquired  if  there  had  been  a change  in  Mr.  Sin’s  circum- 
stances. The  answer  was  no.  But  in  the  Bible  he  had 
bought  and  had  been  studying  so  diligently  was  God’s 
command,  “Six  days  shalt  thou  labor,  and  do  all  thy 
work,”  and  Mr.  Sin  had  taken  it  to  mean  that  no  Chris- 
tian could  be  an  idler.  If  he  would  be  obedient  to  the 
Great  Captain  of  his  Salvation,  he  must  labor  six  days  and 
keep  the  seventh  holy  for  the  Lord  his  God. 

Voluntary  Preaching. — Mr.  Sin  gave  one-fourth  of  his 
time  to  preaching  without  pay.  He  started  work  in  a vil- 
lage twelve  miles  away.  Before  the  missionary  even 
visited  them  there  was  a small  church  building  there,  and 
thirty-five  people  meeting  for  worship.  Mr.  Sin  is  still  an 
earnest,  devoted  Christian,  and  honored  elder  in  his 
church. 

Early  Seed  Sown. — Of  course  many  of  these  seed  sow- 
ers were  ignorant  and  unlearned  men.  Their  knowledge 
even  of  the  Bible  was  limited.  They  had  no  theological 
training  and  often  made  mistakes.  One  of  our  women 
missionaries  heard  an  earnest  but  ignorant  brother  talk- 
ing to  a country  congregation  about  the  literal  fulfillment 
of  God’s  promises.  Now  in  Korean  the  word  for  “Com- 
forter” (Poh-ay-sa)  and  “Dr.  Forsythe”  (Po-eui-sa),  are 
almost  identical  in  sound.  So  Mr.  Kim  explained  that  in 
John  14,  God  had  promised  to  send  the  “Comforter”  and 
there  he  was  at  the  hospital  doing  wonderful  things. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  after  services  Mr.  Kim  was 
taught  the  difference  between  “Comforter”  and  “Physi- 
cian Forsythe.” 

But  while  mistakes  were  made,  these  workers  were  in 
earnest,  on  fire  for  souls ; for  the  most  part  Spirit  taught 
men  and  women,  who  had  studied  in  the  school  of  prayer 


THE  SEED  SOWING 


71 

and  there  were  almost  no  isms  or  heresies  taught  by  these 
early  disciples.  It  was  a simple  plain  Gospel  story. 

Boy  Leader. — At  one  of  Mr.  Junkin ’s  country  churches 
he  found  the  boys  holding  a prayer-meeting.  Some  of  the 
boys  had  been  attending  the  school  which  they  had  started 
at  Chunju.  One  little  boy  about  eight  years  old  was  a 
great  friend  of  Mr.  Junkin.  So  the  “Moksa”  (mission- 
ary), remarked  to  him,  “And  I suppose  you  will  be  lead- 
ing when  you  get  a little  bigger.”  The  little  fellow 
straightened  up  and  said,  “I  led  last  Sunday.”  “You 
did!  What  did  you  talk  about?”  asked  Mr.  Junkin. 

“Well,  I read  that  passage  about  straight  is  the  gate 
and  narrow  is  the  way,  and  few  there  be  that  find  it.” 
“And  what  does  that  mean?”  asked  Mr.  Junkin.  The 
boy  answered,  “That  bothered  me  just  a little;  I did  not 
know  just  exactly  all  it  means,  but  I did  know  that  be- 
yond the  straight  gate  are  Heaven  and  Jesus;  and  be- 
yond the  broad  gate  are  Hell  and  the  devil ; so  I told  that 
and  that  we  had  better  all  go  the  straight  way.” 

But  God’s  promise  to  His  people  of  old  that  as  the  rain 
and  dew  from  heaven  watereth  the  earth  and  maketh  it 
bring  forth  and  bud,  so  shall  His  word  be,  it  shall  not 
return  unto  Him  void,  held  true  in  the  Hermit  Nation; 
and  often  was  the  missionary’s  heart  gladdened  by  find- 
ing in  some  unexpected  place  a harvest  from  the  seed 
sown  by  the  wayside. 

Russo-Japanese  War. — The  Russo-Japanese  war  was 
now  at  an  end,  and  with  it,  of  course,  came  an  end  to 
strong  Russian  influence  in  Korea.  One  result  of  this 
war,  of  course,  was  the  strengthening  of  Japanese  influ- 
ence in  Korea  and  immediately  on  the  close  of  it,  there 
was  a great  immigration  from  Japan  to  Korea.  I will 
quote  from  Dr.  Horace  N.  Allen’s  “Things  Korean”:  “It 
is  not  surprising  that  the  Koreans  should  now  resent  be- 
ing absorbed  by  a race  they  had  long  despised,  the  history 
of  whose  intercourse  with  their  land  is  written  in  blood, 


72 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


and  whose  subjects  care  not  for  Korean  customs,  and  but 
little  for  native  rights,  while  respect  for  age  and  rank  is 
quite  neglected. 

“Poor  Koreans!  You  have  waited  too  long.  Perhaps 
had  your  land  been  tossed  and  riven  by  earthquakes  and 
volcanoes,  you  might  have  been  shaken  out  of  your  con- 
tented sleep.  But  while  you  slept  and  dreamed  and  cared 
for  naught  but  to  be  let  alone,  your  ancient  enemy  has 
been  busy  learning  the  arts  of  those  strange  folks  you  see 
even  now,  wending  their  way  up  your  ancient  path  to 
yon  fortress  of  your  ancient  kings. 

“Having  learned  these  arts  she  has  even  vanquished 
one  of  her  teachers,  and  you,  once  a teacher,  but  now  a 
decrepit  old  ex-officio,  what  can  you  hope  for  when  your 
land  is  wanted  by  your  energetic,  erstwhile  pupil  ¥ The 
sleep  is  o’er,  the  dream  is  done,  and  now  comes  the  strug- 
gle for  existence  amidst  competition  keen  and  sharp.” 

Fusan-Seoul  Railway. — Another  result  of  the  war  was 
the  rapid  completion  of  the  Seoul-Fusan  railroad.  It  had 
been  begun  in  1901  and  the  war  caused  it  to  be  rapidlv 
pushed  to  completion.  It  adds  materially  to  the  wealth 
of  the  country,  both  by  forming  a means  of  rapid  com- 
munication and  by  enhancing  the  value  of  all  the  territory 
through  which  it  runs. 

Standard  Gauge. — Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  first  rail- 
road in  Korea  was  built  by  Americans,  the  standard  gauge 
was  used  and  the  ears  are  very  much  like  those  we  have 
at  home.  I think  it  is  a great  regret  to  the  Japanese  that 
they  have  narrow  gauge  roads  in  Japan. 

Trains  were  a great  education.  The  Koreans  soon 
learned  that  trains  would  not  wait  even  for  officials. 
Trains  have  been  known  to  pull  out  on  time  even  when 
some  rich  man’s  servant  was  coming  on  the  run,  yelling, 
“ Cho-kumikura,  yang  ban  o”  (wait  awhile,  gentleman  is 
coming). 


THE  SEED  SOWING 


73 


Another  result  of  the  'Russo-Japanese  war  was  that  it 
seemed  to  have  vastly  stimulated  missionary  effort  and 
increased  its  rewards.  The  country  and  the  people  were 
brought  to  the  notice  of  the  church  at  home.  The  mis- 
sionaries themselves  had  shown  a calm  courage,  and  stead- 
fast purpose  that  gained  them  the  confidence  of  the  people 
as  the  tide  of  battle  rolled  around  them,  and  the  Koreans 
themselves  seemed  to  realize  that  old  things  were  passing 
away,  and  in  their  trouble  and  distress  they  cried  unto 
the  Lord  and  He  heard  them. 


CHAPTER  III. 

)t  (great  Sngatfjering 


(1905-1912) 


CHAPTER  III. 


® t)c  #reat  Htngatfjering 

4 

1.  Preparing  for  the  Harvest: 

(1)  Federal  Council  of  Missions, 

(2)  Division  of  Territory, 

(3)  Ordination  of  First  Korean  Ministers, 

(4)  Organization  of  Presbytery, 

(5)  Sending  Korean  Missionary  to  Quelparte. 

2.  Our  First  Ministers: 

(1)  Yun  Sik  Myung, 

(2)  Kim  Pil  Soo, 

(3)  Chay  Choon  Jin. 

3.  The  Harvest: 

(1)  New  Missionaries, 

(2)  Report  of  1903-1909  Contrasted, 

(3)  Mokpo  Re-Opened, 

(4)  Million  Soul  Movement. 

4.  Reasons  for  Ingathering: 

(1)  Worldly: 

a.  Individual  Fear, 

b.  Disturbed  Condition  of  Country, 

c.  Love  of  Organization. 

(2)  Spiritual: 

a.  Prayer, 

b.  Holy  Spirit, 

c.  Bible  Study: 

(a)  Country  Class  One  Week, 

(b)  Station  Class  Ten  Days, 

(c)  Bible  Institute,  One  Month, 

(d)  Bible  School,  Three  Months. 


CHAPTER  III. 

®be  (great  Sngatfjering 

(1905-1912) 

“He  that  goeth  forth  and  weepeth,  bearing  precious  seed , 
shall  doubtless  come  again  with  rejoicing , bringing  his  sheaves 
with  him.” — Psa.  126:6. 

During  the  next  eight  years  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  Christianity  all  over  Korea  form  one  of  the  most 
inspiring  chapters  of  mission  history.  Some  one  said  of 
that  time,  it  seemed  like  “a  nation  on  the  run  to  God.” 
God  was  moving  mightily  on  the  hearts  of  the  Korean 
people,  and  also  on  the  minds  of  His  representatives. 

Union. — In  August,  1905,  at  a conference  of  the  mis- 
sionaries for  Bible  study,  held  in  Seoul,  there  was  a re- 
markable sense  of  the  power  and  presence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  A deep  feeling  of  our  union  with  Christ,  and 
through  Him  with  each  other  seemed  to  control  each 
one  present.  Denominational  differences  did  not  seem  very 
important.  When  souls  are  being  won  from  heathenism 
and  idolatry,  Calvinism  and  Arminianism  do  not  seem 
to  be,  after  all,  such  important  distinctions. 

Protestant  Council. — At  the  close  of  the  Bible  confer- 
ence, it  was  decided  to  form  a general  council  of  all  the 
Protestant  Evangelical  Missions,  which  council  would 
strive  to  promote  unity  in  the  missionary  bodies,  especial- 
ly as  this  relation  bore  directly  upon  the  native  church; 
and  to  economize  time,  money  and  labor  as  far  as  pos- 
sible in  mission  work  in  hospitals,  schools,  publication  and 
Bible  work. 

Federal  Council. — The  Protestant  Council  existed  for 
several  years  and  out  of  it  gradually  evolved  the  Korean 
“Federal  Council,”  a delegated  body,  with  the  same  end 
and  aims  in  view.  The  six  Protestant  bodies  working  in 


78 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


Korea,  Canadian  and  Australian  Presbyterian,  Northern 
and  Southern  Presbyterian,  Northern  and  Southern  Meth- 
odist, send  delegates  yearly  to  the  Federal  Council,  which 
directs  and  decides  union  work.  The  delegates  edit  the 
Sunday  School  literature  and  publish  a Union  Church 
Hymnal  and  direct  a Union  Medical  College,  a Union  Bi- 
ble Institute  for  men  and  women  and  several  Union  Hos- 
pitals. 

Division  of  Territory. — The  year  1905  also  saw  the 
agreement  about  the  final  division  of  territory  among  the 
six  denominations  working  in  Korea.  The  Canadian, 
Australian,  Southern  Presbyterian  and  Southern  Methodist 
Missions  had  fairly  well  marked  boundary  lines,  but  the 
Northern  Presbyterian  and  Northern  Methodist  Missions 
overlapped.  As  the  work  had  grown,  groups  of  believers, 
who  called  themselves  Methodists,  because  they  were  first 
led  to  Christ  by  a Methodist  worker,  were  located  near 
Presbyterian  churches,  and  vice  versa. 

It  seemed  that  it  would  lead  greatly  to  economy  of 
workers,  time  and  money,  as  well  as  to  a unity  of  the 
whole  work,  if  the  entire  country  could  be  divided  among 
the  missions,  each  one  to  have  his  own  undisputed  terri- 
tory. The  division  was  finally  made  in  1909,  after  much 
prayer  and  consultation,  the  basis  of  the  division  being 
made  on  the  principle  that  each  should  have  a territory 
proportionate  to  the  number  of  the  missionaries  that  their 
Board  could  reasonably  be  expected  to  send  out. 

Whose  Ox? — The  story  has  been  told  before,  but  it  has 
so  much  genuine  human  nature  in  it,  that  it  bears  repeat- 
ing: An  enthusiastic  lady  was  explaining  to  a dear  old 
Presbyterian  friend  about  the  Korean  division  of  terri- 
tory, and  she  said,  “Of  course  there  were  a few  Methodist 
churches  in  the  new  Presbyterian  boundaries,  and  they 
automatically  became  Presbyterians,  but  when  the  object 
of  the  division  was  explained,  not  a one  of  them  objected.” 
“How  lovely!”  breathed  the  sweet  Presbyterian  mother 


THE  GREAT  INGATHERING 


79 


in  Israel.  “Then,”  continued  her  friend,  “there  were 
Presbyterian  churches  in  Methodist  bounds,  and  in  the 
same  way  they  became  Methodists.  ” “ But,  oh,  how-  could 
they?”  ejaculated  the  astonished  old  lady. 

Confession  of  Sin. — In  1907  Mr.  Kil  the  blind  preacher 
of  Pyeng  Yang  preached  in  that  city  a sermon  on,  “Con- 
fess your  sins  one  to  another,”  and  the  scenes  at  the  day 
of  Pentecost  seemed  almost  repeated.  A great  revival 
began  then  which  swept  all  over  the  country  until  thou- 
sands were  brought  to  Christ.  The  Spirit  of  God  mani- 
fested Himself  in  wonderful  ways,  bringing  about  a 
cleansing  of  the  church,  and  a new  consecration,  a new 
power  and  joy  in  the  hearts  of  many.  The  meetings  were 
marked  by  a deep  realization  of  the  awful  consequences  of 
sin,  of  the  deep  sufferings  that  their  own  sins  had  brought 
on  “The  Holy  One  of  Israel,”  and  of  His  dying  love  for 
them.  Many,  with  tears  and  with  deep  agony  of  soul, 
confessed  to  lying,  theft,  envy,  and  malice;  while  many 
made  restitution.  Several  missionaries  had  their  house- 
hold foundations  shaken,  when  a much  trusted  servant 
came  with  tears  bringing  a little  sum  of  money  he  had 
taken  some  five  years  before.  Peace  came  only  when  they 
felt  they  could  go  before  Him  with  pure  hands  and  a clean 
heart. 

North  and  South. — This  great  revival  was  not  so  in- 
tense in  the  South  as  it  was  in  the  North,  but  its  influence 
was  felt  greatly  there  too.  There  is  a marked  difference 
between  the  Koreans  in  the  North  and  in  the  South.  I am 
a Southern  woman,  even  now  my  heart  turns  back  t.o 
Dixie,  and  that  is  perhaps  one  reason  I am  so  loyal  to  the 
Southern  Korean;  for  many  of  his  faults  and  weaknesses 
remind  me  of  ye  olde  tyme  Southern  gentleman,  of  ante- 
bellum days.  He  has  all  the  hospitality  of  our  famed 
Southland.  He  will  crowd  out  his  own  to  take  in  the 
stranger.  As  we  came  home  from  prayer  meeting,  we 
found  a little  Korean  girl  about  six  years  old,  crying  on 
the  street.  She  had  lost  her  way,  she  was  dirty;  but  our 


8o 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


“One  Eyed  Deacon”  cheerfully  lifted  her  on  his  back,  to 
take  her  to  his  home  to  spend  the  night,  until  he  could 
hunt  for  her  people  the  next  day. 

Now  I personally  knew  there  were  already  seven 
sleeping  in  their  one  room  and  they  had  hardly  enough 
for  their  own  breakfast,  but  here  he  was  gladly  taking 
in  “One  of  His  Little  Ones.” 

Generosity. — They  are  like  the  old-time  Southerner  in 
their  generosity.  I have  never  known  a Korean  not  to 
divide  anything  you  gave  him  to  eat.  I have  given  a 
child  a stick  of  American  candy,  a wonderful  treat,  but 
he  always  broke  it  into  pieces  and  divided  it  with  the 
crowd.  It  is  true  they  will  always  rob  Peter  to  pay  Paul. 
They  will  borrow  of  me  to  make  a handsome  present  to 
my  next  door  neighbor.  I helped  the  church  here  to  bury 
an  old  man,  who  left  a destitute  widow.  His  son  arrived 
too  late  for  the  funeral,  but  took  the  money  he  had  brought 
for  the  funeral,  baked  meats,  to  furnish  a feast  for  me  and 
the  church  officers  who  “had  so  lovingly  buried  his 
father.”  “But,”  I asked,  “why  didn’t  he  provide  for 
his  mother,  she  has  nothing  to  eat?”  He  was  too  grateful 
to  us  to  use  the  money  for  his  mother’s  necessities.  It  is 
a false  standard.  Yes,  and  my  heart  often  feels  faint  as 
they  come  with  a gift  of  eggs  or  chickens  when  I know 
they  can  so  ill  afford  it. 

In  our  early  married  life,  my  husband  served  a very 
lovable  people  in  the  homeland,  but  some  of  them  did  not 
like  their  pastor  to  be  seen  carrying  a bundle  down  the 
street.  That  prejudice  has  died  out,  but  although  that 
was  twenty  years  ago,  when  I was  a bride,  I remember  the 
shock  still.  Now  that  is  a Korean  prejudice  also.  They 
are  a nation  of  Col.  Sellars.  There  are  always  “millions 
in  it”  just  ahead  of  them.  Debt  has  no  terrors  for  them, 
for  of  course,  like  Mr.  Micawber,  “Something  will  turn 
up.” 


THE  GREAT  INGATHERING 


8l 


They  are  the  most  affectionate,  lovable,  generous,  pro- 
voking, credulous,  shrewd,  gullible  people  in  the  world. 
The  Northern  people  are  much  more  frugal  and  inde- 
pendent than  are  their  Southern  neighbors. 

Presbyterian  Seminary. — The  Presbyterian  Missions 
had  united  on  a Seminary  in  1902  at  Pyengyang  with  Dr. 
Moffett  in  charge.  We  had  sent  Mr.  Junkin  and  Dr.  Rev- 


(1)  Undergraduate  Class,  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary 
of  all  Korea,  Pyeng  Yang.  This  Seminary  has  the  largest 
enrollment  of  students  of  any  Presbyterian  Theological 
Seminary  in  the  world. 

(2)  Postgraduate  Class,  All  Pastors  of  Self-Supporting  Korean 
Churches,  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  all  Korea, 
Pyeng  Yang. 


82 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


nolds  to  teach  in  it  each  spring,  and  June,  1907,  saw  the 
first  graduates  from  the  seminary.  Thus  an  advance  step 
in  the  whole  work  in  Korea  was  made  when  in  September, 
1907,  in  Pyengyang  our  first  Presbytery  was  organized  to 
take  charge  of  all  the  Presbyterian  churches. 

First  Presbytery. — Let  me  quote  from  a letter  from 
Dr.  Moffett,  who  was  chosen  moderator  of  the  first  Pres- 
bytery : ‘ ‘ This  is  a great  year  in  the  history  of  the  church 
in  Korea.  The  Council  decided  to  go  ahead  with  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Korean  Presbyterian  Church,  and  on 
September  17,  1907,  just  at  noon,  the  moderator’s  gavel 
announced  that  the  Presbytery  had  been  constituted  in 
accordance  with  the  authority  given  by  the  General  As- 
semblies of  the  four  Presbyterian  churches  whose  missions 
were  united  in  the  Council.” 

“The  Presbytery  had  at  its  organization,  representa- 
tives from  thirty-six  organized  churches,  at  least  two  other 
churches  with  elders  not  being  represented.  The  Pres- 
bytery then  elected  its  officers  and  as  its  first  work,  began 
the  examination  of  the  seven  men  who  had  finished  the 
theological  course  of  five  years,  and  proceeded  to  their 
ordination.  At  the  night  meeting  in  a very  impressive 
service,  the  seven  men  were  ordained — the  first  Presby- 
terian ministers  of  the  Korean  Church.” 

“The  Presbytery,  in  its  first  meeting,  consisted,  after 
the  ordination  of  these  men,  of  thirty-two  foreign  mis- 
sionaries, seven  Korean  ministers  and  thirty-three  Korean 
elders.  Presbytery  had  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  over  a 
church  with  17,890  communicants.  One  of  the  most  sig- 
nificant actions  of  Presbytery  was  the  setting  aside  of  Yi 
Ki  Poong,  one  of  the  seven  men  ordained  to  go  as  a mis- 
sionary to  Quelparte,  and  the  whole  church  is  asked  to 
provide  means  to  send  him  and  his  wife  there  to  proclaim 
the  Gospel  and  establish  the  church.” 


THE  GREAT  INGATHERING 


83 


“Sixteen  years  ago  he  stoned  me  on  the  streets  of 
Pyengyang,  and  now  he  goes  as  the  First  Missionary  of 
the  church  in  Korea.” 

A Missionary  Church. — Thus  from  its  very  beginning 
the  Korean  church  has  been  a missionary  church,  for  from 
their  first  seven  ordained  men  they  sent  one  to  Quelparte. 

This  is  a large  island  south  of  Mokpo,  about  twelve 
hours  trip  by  steamer.  The  first  French  navigators,  not 
knowing  where  they  were  when  they  reached  it,  cried, 
“Quel  parte”  (What  place?),  and  so  it  gained  its  name. 

Our  First  Graduates. — We  Southern  Presbyterians  did 
not  have  any  men  to  graduate  from  the  Seminary  till  two 
years  later,  and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  one  of  our 
first  three  graduates  is  now  laboring  as  a missionary  of 
our  South  Chulla  Presbytery,  on  the  island  of  Quelparte. 
Our  first  three  ordained  men  were : Yun  Sik  Myung,  Kim 
Pil  Soo,  and  Chay  Choon  Jin. 

As  their  careers  are  typical  of  the  men  whom  God  is 
calling  into  the  work,  I shall  give  a little  sketch  of  each. 

Yun  Sik  Myung. — Mr.  Yun  comes  from  that  plain  class 
of  people  whom  God  must  love,  because  He  makes  so 
many  of  them.  One  night  the  family  ate  of  a fish,  called 
Poke-jangie.  If  this  fish  is  not  properly  cleaned,  it  is 
poisonous.  That  night  five  members  of  the  family  died, 
Mr.  Yun’s  father,  mother,  young  wife,  and  two  others, 
and  he  was  violently  ill ; but  God  spared  his  life,  and  he 
resolved  to  give  it  to  His  service.  He  came  south  to  cook, 
but  Mr.  Bell  soon  saw  that  he  was  too  good  a man  for 
that.  Mr.  Tate  made  him  first  a colporteur,  and  later  an 
evangelistic  helper  in  his  field.  On  the  long  itinerating 
trips  they  took  together,  Mr.  Tate  taught  him  of  God  as 
revealed  not  only  in  the  Bible  but  also  in  the  history  of 
nations  and  the  work  of  the  universe. 

After  graduation  Mr.  Yun  took  charge  of  the  Mokoo 
church  at  a salary  of  eighteen  yen  ($9.00)  a month  and  a 


84 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


manse.  He  served  this  church  most  faithfully  for  five 
years  and  left  it  to  go  to  Quelparte  as  a missionary  from 
Chulla  Presbytery. 

Kim  Pil  Soo. — Kim  Pil  Soo  was  a man  of  education, 
who  came  from  Seoul  as  Miss  Tate’s  language  teacher.  It 
has  been  said  of  the  personal  helpers  in  Korea,  that  they 
grow  so  like  the  missionary,  under  whom  they  are  trained, 
that  they  even  walk  like  them.  Be  that  as  it  may,  many 
of  us  can  see  traces  of  Mr.  Junkin’s  eloquence  and  ready 
wit  in  Mr.  Kim,  who  worked  for  years  as  Mr.  Junkin’s  per- 
sonal helper.  He  is  now  the  honored  editor  of  the  Korean 
“Christian  Messenger,”  a man  of  power  and  influence  in 
the  entire  church. 

Chay  Choon  Jin. — Chay  Choon  Jin,  our  third  grad- 
uate, was  a man  of  great  organizing  ability.  He  too  had 
been  Mr.  Tate’s  trusted  helper  and  had  shared  with  Mr. 
Yun  in  those  talks  and  teachings  about  the  Master,  but 
he  also  possessed  unlimited  ambition  and  a desire  for 
self-aggrandizement,  and  like  Lucifer,  he  fell. 

Independent  Church. — After  graduation  he  took  charge 
of  some  country  churches  in  the  field  where  he  had  been 
helper.  Here  he  decided  to  establish  an  independent 
church,  admitting  to  membership  men  who  drank  and 
who  had  two  wives,  a letting  down  of  the  standards  of  our 
church  that  would  be  most  acceptable  to  some  who  would 
like  the  name  of  Christian  but  are  not  willing  to  pay  the 
cost. 

He  led  off  more  than  twenty  groups  and  split  a number 
of  others,  not  only  in  that  field,  but  in  Kunsan  and  Kwang- 
ju territories.  Mr.  Tate,  on  his  return  from  his  furlough, 
made  heroic  efforts  to  repair  the  damage  and  reconstruct 
the  work,  in  which  he  met  with  marked  success;  but  the 
Japanese  Congregational  Church  now  came  in  and  took 
over  the  remnants  of  Mr.  Chay’s  work,  putting  him  on  a 
good  salary;  this  just  after  he  had  been  released  from 


THE  GREAT  INGATHERING 


85 


prison  where  he  had  served  two  years  for  obtaining  money 
under  false  pretenses.  So  the  tares  grew  beside  the  wheat 
but  we  are  not  discouraged  for  the  Master  taught  us  that 
it  would  be  so. 

Missionaries  Members  of  Korean  Presbytery. — The 

missionary’s  relationship  to  Presbytery  has  grown  out  of 
circumstances.  While  still  holding  full  membership  in 
the  home  presbytery,  he  is  a member  with  full  powers  in 
the  Korean  Presbytery.  When  Presbytery  was  organized 
in  1907,  both  Koreans  and  missionaries  thought  it  best 
for  the  missionaries  to  have  full  rights  of  a presbyter  for 
there  were  only  seven  Korean  ministers  and  the  field  was 
large,  the  men  scattered  and  absolutely  inexperienced  in 
ecclesiastical  work.  The  relation  has  been  continued. 
Sometimes  a missionary  is  moderator  and  sometimes  a 
Korean  is  moderator  and  a vote  never  divides  along  lines 
of  nationality.  Missionaries  and  Koreans  serve  together 
on  committees  and  the  relation  has  seemed  to  be  helpful. 
From  the  beginning,  it  has  been  the  purpose  of  the  mis- 
sionaries to  retire  from  this  position,  but  the  Koreans 
have  seemed  to  think  that  the  time  has  not  yet  (1919) 
come  for  that  step  to  be  taken. 

1907  Recruits. — 1907  was  also  to  be  the  banner  year 
for  new  missionaries,  for  within  twelve  months  there  were 
thirteen  of  us  who  came  out.  In  the  spring,  Miss  Nellie 
Rankin  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nisbet  came.  That  fall  we 
welcomed  Rev.  H.  D.  McCallie,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Robert 
Knox,  Misses  Emily  Cordell,  Julia  Dysart,  Ella  Graham, 
Bessie  Knox  and  Eunice  Fisher;  Miss  Fisher,  however, 
became  Mrs.  Earle  before  she  left  Kobe.  Rev.  A.  M. 
Earle  had  reached  Kunsan  two  years  before.  The  next 
spring  brought  Drs.  R.  M.  Wilson  and  F.  H.  Birdman. 

Miss  Rankin  came  in  February,  but  Mr.  Nisbet  and  I 
were  unfortunate  enough  to  take  passage  on  the  beautiful, 
but  ill  starred  “Dakota,”  which  just  six  hours  before  she 


86 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


would  have  anchored  in  Yokohama  harbor  struck  on 
Osano  reef. 

Shipwreck. — There  were  Japanese  fishing  vessels  near- 
by. So  the  passengers  were  easily  carried  to  the  fishing 
village  nearby,  but  practically  all  lost  their  baggage.  We 
came  off  with  a small  hand  satchel  and  a typewriter  which 
we  had  chosen  when  told  by  the  stewardess  that  each 
passenger  would  be  allowed  only  one  piece  of  baggage. 

An  Average  That  Won’t  Work. — The  good  friends  in 
Seoul,  hearing  that  there  were  two  Korean  missionaries, 
who  had  lost  all  their  baggage  in  the  shipwreck,  decided 
to  make  us  some  clothes.  “But  what  size  people  are  they?'’ 
someone  asked.  “Oh,”  the  reply,  “we  will  just  make  the 
clothes  average  size.”  Now  as  my  husband  goes  down 
the  street,  we  constantly  hear  the  cry,  “chun-tai,”  tele- 
graph pole,  for  he  is  six  feet  four,  and  has  no  surplus 
flesh.  As  for  his  wife,  it  is  no  difference  whether  you 
measure  her  horizontally  or  perpendicularly,  it  is  the 
same,  so  you  can  easily  see  why  “clothes  average  size” 
became  a joke. 

But  if  1907  brought  new  recruits,  it'  also  brought 
losses,  for  Miss  Straeffer  went  home  not  to  return,  and 
Dr.  Nolan  left  us  to  take  a fine  salary  at  the  gold  mines. 
That  is  a subtle  temptation  to  the  missionary.  The  physi- 
cian always  has  fine  business  offers  from  corporations 
working  in  the  Orient,  and  the  evangelist  can  get  more 
for  teaching  in  a Government  school. 

Mr.  Junkin.— On  January  2,  1908,  that  prince  of  mis- 
sionaries, William  McCleery  Junkin,  died  of  acute  typhoid 
pneumonia.  For  him  “death  was  swallowed  up  in 
victory.”  He  said  to  one  sitting  by  his  bedside,  “If  this 
be  dying,  it  is  good  to  die,”  but  what  a loss  he  was  to  the 
Korean  church,  just  starting  on  its  mission. 


THE  GREAT  INGATHERING 


87 


Mrs.  Junkin  thought  it  wise  to  take  her  little  children 
to  the  homeland,  and  from  there  her  prayers  and  love  have 
followed  every  step  of  our  work. 

The  Bible  Translation  work  was  thought  far  enough 
advanced  for  Dr.  Keynolds  to  move  his  family  from  Seoul 
to  Chunju.  While  still  giving  his  time  to  Bible  Transla- 
tion, he  could  help  in  Chunju  local  work. 

That  same  year  Miss  Josephine  Hounshell  became  Mrs. 
Luther  McCutchen. 


Women’s  Mid-Winter  Bible  Class,  Chunju. 

Method  of  Work. — The  mission  now  entered  upon  a 
period  of  rapid  and  extensive  growth,  when  people  seemed 
hungry  and  thirsty  for  the  Gospel.  The  Bible  Study  classes 
were  crowded,  Sunday  congregations  were  large,  and  it  did 
indeed  seem  that  Korea  would  be  evangelized  in  this  gen- 
eration. Let  us  listen  to  some  of  the  missionary  reports 
which  will  show  the  method  of  our  evangelistic  work  and 
the  rapid  growth  of  the  church. 


88 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


Mr.  Tate  writes  in  1903:  “Here  is  what  has  been  our 
usual  method  of  procedure ; I would  take  my  teacher  and 
the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society’s  colporteur  with 
me  to  help  in  preaching  and  selling  the  books;  also  two 
coolies,  one  to  carry  the  books  and  one  for  the  food  and 
bedding.  In  the  morning  we  would  decide  where  we 
would  eat  dinner,  and  at  dinner  time,  where  we  would 
spend  the  night  and  send  our  loads  on  there.  Then  I,  on 
my  wheel,  and  the  two  natives,  walking,  would  go  from 
village  to  village.  As  we  entered  a village,  I would  usual- 
ly go  ahead  to  draw  a crowd,  then  when  the  Korean  help- 
ers came  up,  we  would  usually  preach  about  an  hour.” 

“After  having  simply  and  plainly  presented  the  plan 
of  salvation,  while  one  of  us  would  continue  to  preach  to 
the  people,  the  others  would  be  selling  scriptures  and 
tracts, — selling  at  each  village  from  one  to  thirty  books. 
At  night  we  had  a more  formal  service,  singing,  reading, 
preaching  and  personal  talks  with  all  who  would  stay  to 
ask  questions.” 

“I  have  now  three  regular  meeting  places,  and  two 
other  places  where  they  meet  occasionally.  I have  at 
these  three  places  a baptized  membership  of  thirty,  with 
an  average  attendance  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen.” 

Contrast  this  with  the  report  from  Mr.  Tate’s  field  six 
years  later,  in  1909 : 

“Mr.  Tate’s  patient,  faithful  work  in  the  Southwest 
Circuit  during  past  years  is  bringing  a rich  harvest  info 
the  Lord’s  garner.  He  held  1,109  examinations  this  year; 
of  whom  316  adults  were  baptized  and  400  catechumens 
enrolled.  He  now  has  on  his  church  roll  1,203  communi- 
cants and  600  catechumens.” 

In  Mr.  McCutchen’s  field  the  following  figures  show  the 
growth : 

In  1905,  14  were  baptized  in  4 churches. 

In  1906,  50  were  baptized  in  17  churches. 

In  1907,  201  were  baptized  in  21  churches. 

In  1908,  273  were  baptized  in  37  churches. 


THE  GREAT  INGATHERING 


89 


In  1909,  in  the  Chunju  City  Church,  under  the  charge  of 
Dr.  Reynolds,  there  were  335  examined,  of  whom  75  were 
baptized  and  120  were  enrolled  as  catechumens. 

Kunsan  Station  had  its  share  in  the  wonderful  develop- 


ment  of  this  period 
figures : 

as  may  be 

seen  from  the 

following 

Meeting 

Total 

Date.  Places.  Communicants. 

Adherents. 

Baptized. 

1903  8 

162 

400 

51 

1910  58 

1,165 

3,200 

255 

Mokpo  Re-opened,  1907. — At  Mission  Meeting  in  1907 
it  seemed  that  the  time  had  now  come  when  we  could  man 
both  Mokpo  and  Kwangju  Stations,  so  it  was  decided  to  re- 
open Mokpo  that  fall,  assigning  Rev.  and  Mrs.  J.  F.  Pres- 
ton, Rev.  and  Mrs.  Robert  Knox,  Rev.  H.  D.  McCallie, 
Miss  Bessie  Knox,  and  Dr.  Birdman  to  this  station. 

Here  too  the  work  felt  the  impetus  that  all  Korea 
seemed  to  be  having  to  seek  the  living  God,  while  He 
was  near,  as  witness  the  following  figures: 

Country  Communi- 

Groups.  cants.  Catechumens  Attendants. 
2 0 3 60 

40  273  380  1,400 

Dr.  C.  C.  Owen. — But  just  a little  more  than  a year 
after  Mr.  Junkin  was  called  Home,  God,  whose  ways  are 
not  our  ways,  saw  fit  to  summon  that  most  consecrated 
leader  Rev.  C.  C.  Owen,  M.  D.  Taken  ill  while  on  a preach- 
ing trip,  seventy  miles  from  home,  with  only  Koreans  to 
minister  to  him,  it  was  given  to  him  to  suffer  as  few  have 
suffered  for  the  Master.  For  three  days  the  natives  car- 
ried him  in  a sedan  chair;  and,  as  Dr.  Owen  was  a tail 
man,  the  cramped  position  must  have  been  very  painful. 
Dr.  Owen  was  a tireless  itinerator.  He  had  oversight  of 


Date. 

1904 

1909 


90 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


the  work  in  thirteen  counties,  and  was  often  gone  a month 
at  a time.  The  pathetic  question  of  his  little  girl,  only  a 
few  days  before  his  death,  “Why  don’t  papa  stay  to  we 
house?”  was  an  eloquent  testimony  to  his  faithful  efforts 
to  carry  the  Gospel  to  the  thousands,  who  had  only  him  to 
look  to  for  the  bread  of  life.  During  the  last  year  of  his 
life  there  were  over  200  baptisms  in  his  field  and  430 
catechumens  received. 

Dr.  Owen’s  Home-going  left  Kwangju  facing  one  of  the 
greatest  crises  in  its  history.  Mr.  Bell  was  left  the  only 
evangelistic  worker  having  the  language  in  a territory 
comprising  twenty-five  counties.  It  seemed  imperative 
for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  F.  Preston  to  return  to  Kwangju  to 
take  up  the  work  that  Dr.  Owen  had  laid  down.  While 
this  was  necessary  because  of  the  scarcity  of  workers 
with  the  language,  it  was  still  unfortunate  for  Mokpo,  as 
it  left  that  a Station  of  new  missionaries. 

Million  Souls. — The  Revival  in  Korea  had  its  climax 
in  the  so-called  “Million  Souls  Movement”  launched  first 
in  the  General  Council  of  all  the  Korean  Missions,  then  in 
the  Presbytery  and  other  bodies  in  the  fall  of  1910.  Fired 
by  the  wonderful  spread  of  the  Gospel,  it  seemed  that  what 
might  be  accomplished  was  to  be  measured  only  by  the 
faith  to  set  the  goal.  Accordingly  it  was  resolved  to  work 
definitely  for  a million  conversions  for  all  Korea  in  one 
year.  The  very  audacity  of  the  idea  profoundly  impressed 
many,  and  Mr.  Harkness,  of  the  Chapman- Alexander  party 
composed  a hymn,  “A  Million  Souls  for  Jesus,”  which  was 
translated  and  sung  all  over  Korea. 

Half  Cent  Gospel. — The  British  and  Foreign  Bible  So- 
ciety, whose  consecrated  secretary,  Mr.  Hugh  Miller, 
is  ever  on  the  qui  vive  for  ways  and  means  to  help  the 
missionary,  got  a cheap  edition  of  a Gospel  at  cost  of  one 
sen  each,  so  the  Koreans  could  buy  and  distribute  them. 
Over  500,000  of  these  Gospels  were-  distributed  within  six 
months. 


THE  GREAT  INGATHERING 


91 


Days  Pledged  to  Soul  Winning. — Monster  meetings 
were  held  in  the  great  centers  and  throughout  the  field.  A 
marked  feature  of  this  campaign  was  the  way  in  which 
the  Christians  gave  a stated  number  of  days  to  work  for 
souls.  These  pledges  were  over  and  above  Sunday  for  that 
belonged  to  God  anyhow. 

In  the  Kunsan  Bible  class  850  days  were  pledged.  One 
man  who  promised  a month  was  a carpenter,  who  had 
already  shown  his  zeal  by  building,  with  his  own  hands,  a 
church  in  his  village,  after  he  and  his  mother  had  given 
most  of  the  material. 

On  the  last  night  of  the  men’s  Bible  Class  in  Chunju 
3349  days  of  voluntary  preaching  were  promised  by  in-, 
dividuals,  that  is  equivalent  to  more  than  nine  years  of 
preaching  by  one  man. 

Fruits.— As  for  permanent  results,  much  good  was 
done,  seed  was  sown  that  was  reaped  in  after  years.  The 
“Sunrise  Prayer-Meeting”  and  the  giving  of  a definite 
time  to  preaching  the  Word,  seem  to  have  come  to  stay; 
but  the  church  learned  afresh  the  lesson  that  definite 
numbers  are  not  for  man  to  determine,  but  are  ordered 
alone  by  Him,  who  worketh  when  and  where  and  how 
He  pleaseth. 

Opportunity. — In  reading  over  the  records  of  this  re- 
markable period,  three  things  stand  out  prominently: 
1.  The  unparalleled  opportunity.  Perhaps  at  no  time  in 
the  history  of  missions  did  the  church  have  a greater 
opportunity  to  evangelize  a whole  people.  Every  report, 
personal,  station  or  mission,  submitted  during  this  time 
emphasized  the  greatness  of  the  opportunity.  The  extent 
to  which  the  church  in  Korea  could  be  expanded  seems  to 
have  been  measured  humanly  speaking  only  by  the  number 
of  workers  available.  For  these  “babes  in  Christ”  have 
to  be  nourished.  There  is  no  doubt  that  we  lost  many  be- 
cause we  had  not  the  force  to  properly  train  those  who 


92 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


were  just  coming  out  of  centuries  of  superstition  and  ig- 
norance. 

2.  The  totally  inadequate  number  of  workers  for  the 
task.  At  the  beginning  of  the  period,  our  mission  had 
only  six  evangelists,  distributed  among  three  stations, 
ready  equipped  with  the  language,  and  two  others  partly 
equipped.  For  the  first  seven  years  of  the  period,  the  in- 
crease of  evangelistic  workers  over  losses  was  for  the 
whole  mission  just  two  men  and  two  single  lady  workers. 

3.  Notwithstanding  inadequate  provision,  note  the 
wonderful  growth  everywhere.  Compare  these  statistics 
for  the  whole  mission : 


Meeting  Baptized 


Date 

Places 

Communicants 

Adherents 

That  Year 

1903 

13 

267 

1,100 

84 

1912 

336 

7,173 

15,268 

1,381 

In  trying  to  sum  up  the  reasons  for  the  popular  move- 
ment toward  Christianity  at  this  period,  one  is  confronted 
with  a complex  question.  There  is  no  doubt  that  in  many 
cases,  worldly  motives  entered  in,  and  no  one  felt  this 
more  keenly  than  the  missionary.  To  this  consciousness 
is  due  the  elaboration  of  such  strict  rules  for  admission  to 
the  church  as  prevail  in  Korea. 

Worldly  Motives. — Among  the  worldly  motives  which 
attracted  the  people  to  the  church  may  be  mentioned  the 
following : 

Individual  Fear:  Fear  of  creditors,  fear  of  rapacity  of 
officials.  It  was  commonly  thought  that  membership  in 
an  organization  in  common  with  foreigners  who  enjoyed 
extra  territorial  rights,  would  secure  immunity  from  many 
ills  that  threatened.  The  missionaries,  however,  have 
always  been  very  careful  to  be  a “separate  and  peculiar 
people/’  never  mixing  with  the  politics  or  private  quar- 
rels of  the  people  themselves. 


THE  GREAT  INGATHERING 


93 


Disturbed  condition  of  the  country:  The  Russo-Jap- 
anese war  had  just  closed  and  Japan  had  assumed  suze- 
rainty over  Korea.  There  arose  a kind  of  guerrilla  war- 
fare. A band  calling  themselves  “The  Righteous  Army,” 
were  trying  to  resist  the  Japanese  authority.  Many  Ko- 
reans, moved  by  vague  forebodings  for  the  future  sought 
to  allay  their  fears  by  friendly  alliances  with  the  foreign 
missionary.  They  intuitively  felt  that  the  church  was  in 
the  limelight,  and  things  suffered  by  the  church  would  not 
be  allowed  to  remain  hidden  in  a corner. 

Love  of  Organization  as  such:  I have  heard  in  the  U. 
S.  A.  of  a man  who  was  “a  jiner”  because  he  loved  to  be- 
long to  societies.  Now  the  Koreans  are  “jiners.”  The 
great  objection  to  the  church  had  always  been  the  un- 
pleasant insistance  upon  repentance  and  putting  away 
certain  sinful  habits;  but  a new  condition  arose.  The  Y. 
M.  C.  A.  had  been  founded  in  Seoul,  and  soon  after,  the 
Epworth  League,  in  the  Methodist  Church,  both  of  which 
had  the  customary  provision  for  associate  membership. 
The  report  now  spread  rapidly  that  one  could  belong  to 
the  church  without  the  objectionable  features,  such  as  be- 
lieving on  Jesus  and  forsaking  sin.  As  a result  the  Y. 
M.  C.  A.  and  Epworth  League  spread  like  wild  fire  among 
non-Christian  villages,  using  their  names,  constitution, 
and  by-laws  until  prohibited  by  the  respective  organiza- 
tions. 

Spiritual  Motives:  However,  after  giving  these  rea- 
sons their  due  weight,  I would  say  that  God  honors  His 
Word,  and  that  the  one  great  God-given  means  of  evan- 
gelizing a people  is  the  Bible,  and  that  to  this  more  than 
to  any  other  one  thing  was  due  the  turning  of  the  hearts 
of  the  people  unto  God.  The  Revival  began  in  a Bible 
Class;  then  promises  of  days  given  in  preaching  the  Word 
were  all  made  at  Bible  Classes,  and  so  I would  place  the 
reasons  for  the  great  ingathering  as  largely  due  to 

Great  emphasis  placed  on  God’s  Word. — For  He  Him- 
self has  said,  “My  word  shall  not  return  unto  Me  void,” 


94 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


and  the  one  great  commanding  feature  of  the  work  in 
Korea  has  been  the  position,  the  supreme  position,  the 
almost  unexampled  position  given  to  instruction  in  the 
Scriptures  as  the  very  Word  of  God — the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth. 

Prayer. — The  Korean  has  a simple  childlike  faith  that 
simply  takes  God  at  His  word  and  thinks  He  means  what 
He  says.  I could  give  example  after  example  of  the  won- 
derful, overcoming  faith  in  prayer. 

Mrs.  Kim  hears  her  only  boy  now  studying  in  Seoul  is 
running  with  bad  companions;  she  goes  off  to  the  lonely 
mountains  and  then  until  daybreak,  she  wrestles  in  prayer, 
but  with  sunrise  comes  victory.  As  she  comes  down  the 
mountain  side  her  face  shines  and  she  says  to  her  mission- 
ary friend,  “It  is  all  right.  God  will  straighten  out 
my  boy,”  and  a few  days  later  comes  the  letter  from 
Severance  Medical  College,  saying  her  boy  has  “eaten  a 
new  mind”  and  settled  down  to  fine,  steady  work. 

The  Holy  Spirit. — Let  any  people  forsake  their  evil 
ways,  make  restitution  for  their  wrong  doing,  and  humbly 
ask  Him  to  come  and  possess  their  home  and  loved  ones, 
and  He  will  not  disappoint  them.  It  was  remarkable  at 
this  time  how  many  wives  brought  their  husbands,  chil- 
dren their  parents, — the  fallow  ground  was  broken  up. 

The  Pioneer  Workers  in  Korea  realize  that  when  men 
are  breaking  away  from  old  faiths  and  adopting  new 
forms  of  worship,  Satan  uses  all  his  wiles  to  direct  their 
minds  into  false  ways.  It  is  a fruitful  time  for  false  faiths, 
and  it  is  necessary  to  have  the  Word  to  show  the  right 
way,  and  to  be  a lamp  unto  the  faltering  feet  that  are 
learning  to  walk  anew. 

First  Bible  Class. — The  Sabbath  ministrations  of  the 
Word  were  not  sufficient  and  schools  of  extended  duration 
were  not  practical  for  the  whole  church,  and  thus  out  of 
the  exigencies  of  the  case  and  out  of  a conference  with 
Dr.  Nevius  of  China,  the  Bible  Study  Class  system  of  Ko- 


THE  GREAT  INGATHERING 


95 


rea  was  born.  Dr.  Moffett  says,  “I  remember  onr  first 
Bible  Training  Class ; one  of  seven  men  held  in  a little 
room  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Dr.  Underwood’s  com- 
pound. Two  men  came  from  the  north,  two  from  Whang- 
hai  province  and  three  from  Seoul.  The  burden  of  the 
teaching  rested  upon  Mr.  Gifford  and  after  two  weeks  of 
study  these  helpers  went  forth  to  their  work.  From  that 
day  to  this,  these  classes  have  gradually  developed  into  our 
“ Bible  Training  Class  System.” 

1.  The  Country  Class. — Sometimes  we  are  led  to  think 
that  the  Koreans  are  just  longing  to  search  the  Scriptures 
for  in  them  they  think  they  have  eternal  life,  but  such  is 
not  the  case.  Conditions  must  be  made  conducive  to 
his  studying.  Therefore  a time  is  chosen  when  farm  work 
is  not  pressing,  good  teachers  are  secured,  and  classes  in 
the  country  churches  lasting  from  four  days  to  a week  are 
held.  The  morning  is  given  to  studying  and  usually  part 
of  the  afternoon,  but  in  the  evening  a house  to  house  can- 
vass is  made  and  those  not  in  attendance  are  urged  to 
come.  The  afternoons  are  sometimes  given  over  entirely 
to  personal  work. 

At  night  popular  services  are  held  to  which  all  in  the 
community,  both  Christian  and  non-Christian  are  urged 
to  come.  If  the  class  is  in  a small  young  church  there 
will  be  one  grade  only ; if  in  a more  developed  church,  two 
grades  will  be  taught.  These  classes  are  held,  if  possible, 
in  all  the  country  churches  or  in  groups  of  churches  so 
situated  that  all  can  attend  without  difficulty.  The  coun- 
try women  have  been  reached  to  a wonderful  extent  in 
this  way.  All  honor  is  due  to  the  lady  itinerators,  who  all 
alone,  except  for  a Korean  Bible  woman,  have  climbed 
steep  mountain  passes,  crossed  raging  torrents  on  narrow 
foot  bridges,  waded  swollen  streams,  braved  snow  and  ice 
and  storm  to  carry  the  Bible  to  the  women  of  the  remote 
country  churches.  Misses  Tate  in  Chunju,  Dysart  in 
Kunsan,  Graham  in  Kwangju,  and  Martin  in  Mokpo  have 
travelled  so  widely  over  the  field  carrying  the  Gospel 


(1)  A Country  Church  and  Congregation,  Soonchun; 

(2)  Heathen  Sunday  School  Christmas  Celebration,  Soonchun; 

(3)  Women’s  Mid-Winter  Bible  Class,  Soonchun. 


THE  GREAT  INGATHERING 


97 


to  the  women  and  children  in  their  homes,  that  they  are 
now  known  and  loved  everywhere.  But  many  and  varied 
were  their  first  experiences. 

Big  Babies. — According  to  old  Korean  custom,  a Ko- 
rean girl  always  marries  before  she  is  twenty  and  an 
unmarried  girl  is  called  “a  big  baby.”  It  was  no  unusual 
thing  for  our  early  lady  itinerators  to  have  a large  crowd 
gather  for  a sight  see  of  the  “Big  American  Baby.” 

2.  The  Station  Class. — An  appetite  whetted  by  a few 
days  study  in  the  country  should  not  be  neglected,  there- 
fore once  a year  a great  Bible  class  is  held  for  ten  days 
study  in  each  station,  where  the  missionaries  live.  Special 
effort  is  made  to  get  students  from  every  group  of  believers 
to  attend  this  class,  for  out  of  it  will  be  developed  the 
leadership,  upon  which  the  life  and  growth  of  the  group 
will  depend.  The  class  will  furnish  the  spiritual  food  for 
a large  part  of  the  year. 

The  men  and  women  come  at  their  own  expense  and 
study  earnestly  for  ten  days,  and  go  home  with  something 
new  to  tell  their  friends,  a new  vision  of  Jesus,  new  light 
on  life ’s  way. 

The  best  attendance  yet  reached  by  any  of  our  stations 
was  when  Chunju,  in  1909,  enrolled  623  men.  The  class 
for  women  is  always  held  at  a different  date  from  that 
for  the  men. 

3.  The  Bible  Institute. — These  short  classes  were  felt 
to  be  insufficient,  and  classes  of  picked  students  for  longer 
terms  were  established. 

In  1908  Miss  Tate  gathered  a few  women  for  a three- 
weeks  class.  This  was  kept  up.  until  Mrs.  McCutchen  took 
charge  of  this  work  and  developed  it  still  further  into  a 
regular  school  with  curriculum  and  diploma  after  the 
completion  of  the  fifth  grade. 

This  institute  is  held  a month  each  fall,  and  has  been 
a power  in  training  women  for  work  and  has  raised  the 
Christian  intelligence  very  much.  The  North  Chulla  In- 


98 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


stitute  is  held  in  Chunju  for  all  North  Chulla  field  and 
the  South  Chulla  Institute  is  held  in  Kwangju  for  all 
South  Chulla. 

4.  The  Bible  School. — But  it  was  still  found  insuffi- 
cient to  furnish  trained  Sunday  School  teachers  and  Bi- 
ble women,  so  we  now  have  one  Bible  School  for  both 
North  and  South  Chulla  fields,  and  this  is  taught  for  three 
months  in  the  spring  in  Chunju.  This  system  of  Bible 
Classes  is  the  same  for  the  men  and  the  women,  except 
that  the  men  have  no  three  months  Bible  School,  the 
Union  Seminary,  Pyengyang,  taking  the  place  of  that  as  a 
training  school. 

Our  system  might  be  diagrammed  this  way,  the  aim 
being  to  get  the  Bible  into  the  heart  of  each  member  of 


THE  GREAT  INGATHERING 


99 


The  students  bear  their  own  expenses,  often  bringing 
their  rice  with  them,  because  unable  to  pay  board.  The 
mission  furnishes  a building  in  which  to  study ; also  sleep- 
ing quarters,  with  light  and  heat. 

By  this  system  of  Bible  Study  a sturdy  Christian  faith 
is  developed,  a praying,  working,  spiritual  body  is  sent 
forth  to  tell  the  story  of  a Savior  seeking  the  lost.  From 
this  sturdy  force  trained  in  the  simple  truths  of  the  Word, 
with  their  eyes  open  to  see  Jesus,  we  find  our  best  defence 
against  Russellism,  and  various  forms  of  the  devil’s  de- 
lusions. 

Open  to  the  Gospel. — In  his  “Passing  of  Korea”  Mr. 
Hulburt  in  a most  interesting  way  discusses  why  the  Ko- 
reans are  so  open  to  the  Gospel,  while  their  neighbors  on 
either  side,  the  Japanese  and  Chinese,  have  been  much 
slower  to  respond. 

Temperament. — He  makes  it  a case  of  temperamental 
balance.  He  says,  “The  Chinese  while  very  superstitious 
is  comparatively  phlegmatic.  He  sees  no  rainbow,  and 
pursues  no  ignis  fatuus ; he  has  none  of  the  martial  spirit 
which  impels  the  Japanese  to  deeds  of  patriotic  daring, 
but  he  is  the  best  business  man  in  the  world.  But  he  is 
devoid  of  imagination,  and  is  therefore  satisfied  with  Con- 
fucianism. Buddhism  stands  at  the  opposite  pole  from 
Confucianism.  It  is  the  most  mystical  of  all  cults  outside 
the  religion  of  the  Nazarene.  That  is  why  it  has  become  so 
strongly  entrenched  in  Japan.  While  Confucianism  leaves 
nothing  for  the  imagination,  Buddhism  leaves  everything. 
The  idealism  of  the  Japanese  surrendered  to  it,  and  we 
may  well  believe  that  when  Buddhism  is  driven  to  bay,  it 
will  not  be  in  Lhasa,  the  home  of  the  Lama,  but  at  Nara 
orNikko.” 

Mr.  Hulburt  thinks  the  Koreans  are  temperamentally 
between  the  Chinese  and  the  Japanese,  not  so  idealistic 
as  the  one  nor  so  utilitarian  as  the  other ; therefore  nearer 
the  Westerner.  It  seems  easier  for  us  to  get  close  to  the 


IOO 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


Korean  than  either  of  the  other  nations.  Christianity,  the 
most  rational  and  at  the  same  time  the  most  mystical  of 
all  religions,  finds  in  the  Korean  a like  combination  of 
rationality  and  idealism. 

The  Bible  an  Eastern  Book. — The  imagery,  similes,  and 
life  of  the  Bible  are  all  Oriental.  The  scene  of  the  Book 
of  all  books  is  laid  in  the  East  and  is  much  nearer  the 
daily  life  of  the  Oriental  than  of  the  Occidental.  The 
child  at  home  who  reads  of  “a  lodge  in  a garden  of  cu- 
cumbers” thinks  of  the  “lodge”  as  a kind  of  bungalow; 
while  the  Korean  at  once  knows  that  it  is  a little  platform, 
raised  on  four  poles  and  covered  with  straw  thatch,  where 
the  farmer  sits  by  day  and  sleeps  by  night  to  watch  over 
such  crops  as  melons  and  cucumbers  and  similar  ready-to- 
eat  vegetables. 

Village  Well  . — For  one  commentary  on  life  in  a 
heathen  land  is  that  they  cannot  trust  each  other.  The 
home  is  never  left  empty.  Always  some  one  stays  “to 
watch  the  house,”  else  the  large  jars  of  pickled  cabbage 
and  turnips  and  other  things  would  be  stolen.  I notice 
the  women  coming  to  the  village  well  below  me,  and  each 
woman  brings  her  own  little  bucket  and  rope  to  draw 
water  to  fill  her  jar,  for  if  she  left  a rope  and  bucket  at 
the  well  for  common  use  it  would  soon  be  gone. 

But  if  Abraham  were  seeking  a bride  for  Isaac  tomor- 
row, his  servant  would  find  all  the  women  of  the  village 
coming  to  the  well  about  sunset,  and  as  they  went  slowly 
on  to  Laban’s  home  they  would  see  at  many  a door  two 
women  grinding  at  the  mill. 

Modern  Trading. — When  Abraham  goes  to  buy  the 
cave  of  Machpelah  from  Ephron,  the  Hittite,  as  a burying 
place  for  Sarah,  it  is  such  an  Eastern  transaction,  that  I 
can  just  close  my  eyes  and  think  I am  there.  Hear  Eph- 
ron’s  word,  “Nay,  my  lord,  hear  me:  the  field  give  I 
thee,  and  the  cave  that  is  therein,  I give  it  thee;  in  the 


THE  GREAT  INGATHERING 


IOI 


presence  of  the  sons  of  my  people  give  I it  thee : bnry  thy 
dead.  ’ ’ He  gives  it  to  Abraham  and  in  reference  to  money, 
he  asks,  “What  is  that  betwixt  thee  and  me?”  and  then 
expects  and  accepts  a good  round  sum  of  silver  for  that 
same  cave.  And  in  Genesis  23:17,  Abraham  “made  sure 
of  the  trees”  that  were  in  the  field.  In  America,  when  we 
buy  a field,  we  also  buy  the  trees,  unless  stipulated  other- 
wise; but  in  the  Orient  unless  you  “make  sure”  of  your 
trees,  they  are  not  yours. 

The  parable  built  around  the  wedding  feast  means  so 
much  more  to  the  Easterner  than  to  us,  for  after  bidding 
you  to  the  feast,  they  too  send  a servant  to  tell  you  that 
it  is  ready. 

Miracles.— The  miraculous,  whether  in  making  the 
blind  see,  the  lame  to  walk,  the  deaf  to  hear,  or  in  casting 
out  devils  or  quelling  the  storm-tossed  waves, — that  is 
what  is  to  be  expected  by  a people  trained  in  a firm  belief 
in  supernatural  intervention. 

Tangnn. — The  Immaculate  Conception,  that  has  been 
so  hard  for  so  many  philosophical  minds  to  accept,  offers 
no  difficulty  to  the  average  Korean,  for  does  he  not  know 
the  history  of  Tangun  the  first  king  of  Korea?  Four 
thousand  years  ago  a tiger  and  a bear  met  on  the  mountain 
side  and  wished  they  might  become  human  beings.  And 
then  they  heard  a voice  saying  through  the  wind,  “Retire 
to  the  mountain  cave,  and  fast  twenty-one  days  and  you 
shall  become  as  you  desire.”  They  did  as  they  were  told, 
but  the  tiger  wearied  of  the  restraint  and  soon  came  forth 
to  roam  the  mountains  fiercer  than  ever.  But  the  bear  pa- 
tiently waited  the  required  time,  and  then  came  forth 
a perfect  woman.  Hanung  the  son  of  Hanin,  the  Creator, 
asked  for  an  earthly  kingdom.  The  father  acceded  to  his 
request  and  the  spirit  came  as  the  wind  to  the  earth,  and 
finding  this  beautiful  woman,  it  breathed  upon  her,  and 
Tangun,  first  king  of  Korea  was  born.  He  ruled  Korea 
about  a thousand  years  and  brought  many  reforms,  but 


102 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


finally  tiring  of  earth,  he  resumed  his  spirit  shape  and 
again  ascended  into  Heaven. 

Confucianism. — Though  Korea  has  three  religions  of 
her  own,  she  has  often  been  said  to  have  none,  for  while 
Confucianism,  Buddhism,  and  Shamanism  have  all  left 
their  imprint  on  Korean  customs  and  character,  still  no 
one  of  the  three  could  be  said  to  be  THE  religion  of  Korea. 
The  Korean  scholar  must  know  the  Chinese  classics,  there- 
fore he  will  study  the  writings  of  the  followers  of  Con- 
fucius. But  this  is  more  a system  of  ethics  than  a religion. 
Perhaps  its  greatest  influence  on  the  Korean  has  come 
through  ancestral  worship  as  a necessary  part  of  filial 
piety.  Ancestral  worship  is  universal  among  the  Koreans, 
and  it  is  so  interwoven  with  the  daily  life  and  thought 
that  it  is  very  hard  to  give  it  up.  It  is  generally  thought 
that  a man  has  three  souls,  which  on  death  separate;  one 
goes  to  Hades,  one  to  the  grave  and  one  enters  the  ances- 
tral tablet.  Their  burial  service  takes  cognizance  of  the 
future  comfort  of  all  three. 

First  Soul. — Just  as  soon  as  a man  dies,  three  small 
tables  of  food  each  with  a little  money  and  a pair  of 
shoes  are  put  outside  the  door  of  the  home.  These  are  to 
placate  the  jailors,  or  guards  of  Hades,  who  will  shortly 
come  to  escort  the  soul  of  the  deceased  to  the  ten  judges 
in  Hades.  If  they  are  well  fed  and  shod  and  have  a little 
money  to  spend  on  the  way,  they  will  naturally  be  more 
pleasant  travelling  companions. 

Second  Soul. — The  grave  site,  the  abode  of  the  second 
soul  is  chosen  with  much  care.  If  possible  a southern 
exposure  on  the  mountain  side  is  selected  so  that  the 
soul  may  be  warm  and  comfortable.  If  you  are  at  all 
well-to-do,  a geomancer  has  to  be  consulted,  for  it  is  very 
important  to  know  the  wishes  of  the  mountain  spirit.  If 
he  is  inhospitable,  the  soul  will  probably  be  uncomfort- 
able. 


THE  GREAT  INGATHERING  IO3 

In  Korea  it  is  a pleasant  mark  of  respect  to  present  a 
loved  one  with  a coffin  several  years  in  advance  of  his 
death.  I have  often  slept  in  a Korean  room  with  my 
host’s  future  coffin  swinging  to  the  rafters  just  over  my 
head.  The  hearse  is  a gaudy  red  and  yellow  affair,  fol- 
lowed by  the  male  members  of  the  family  wearing  hats 
about  the  size  of  a bushel  basket  and  ropes  around  the 
waists  to  show  they  are  the  prisoners  of  the  Heavens. 
They  also  wear  the  hats  to  hide  them  from  view  because 
they  are  under  the  displeasure  of  the  spirits.  The  hired 
mourners  dance  and  scream  and  make  the  most  horrible 
noise.  After  the  interment  comes  the  sacrifice.  Tables 
are  placed  before  the  grave  on  which  are  rice,  fish,  wine, 
and  often  vermicelli  soup.  The  relatives  prostrate  them- 
selves, and  invocations  are  made,  asking  for  peace  to  the 
spirit,  who  rests  in  the  grave.  They  then  make  offerings 
and  do  obeisance  to  the  mountain  spirit,  begging  that 
it  will  allow  the  soul  to  rest  there  in  peace.  After  this 
the  crowd  proceeds  to  have  a jolly  good  time,  disposing 
of  the  food  and  wine. 

Third  Soul. — The  third  and  last  soul  of  the  man  comes 
back  from  the  grave  with  the  family  to  take  up  his  abode 
in  the  ancestral  tablet,  and  another  sacrificial  offering  is 
made. 

Ancestral  Tablet. — The  ancestral  tablet  is  made  of  two 
pieces  of  wood,  put  face  to  face,  on  the  inner  surface  of 
which  is  written  in  Chinese  characters  the  name  of  the 
spirit,  and  the  promise  of  his  son  to  keep  up  the  ancestral 
worship.  A small  hole  is  left  at  the  top  for  the  spirit 
to  come  and  go.  A well-to-do  man  has  a special  house  in 
which  to  keep  his  ancestral  tablets,  but  the  poor  man  has 
to  keep  them  in  a box  in  a corner  of  the  room.  They  only 
go  back  from  three  to  five  generations.  Ancestral  wor- 
ship has  a very  strong  hold  on  the  Korean.  It  has  been 
ingrained  for  centuries,  and  it  is  hard  for  them  to  break 
away.  It  brings  in  its  train  also  the  idea  that  a man  must 


104 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


have  a son  to  keep  up  the  ancestral  sacrifice.  So  we  have, 
as  a natural  consequence,  concubinage,  divorcing  some- 
times a wife  who  does  not  bear  sons,  and  many  other 
evils. 

On  all  sacrificial  occasions,  the  eldest  son  is  chief 
mourner  and  high  priest.  In  his  care  is  the  ancestral 
tablet,  and  the  cost  of  the  sacrifice  is  the  first  charge  on 
the  estate;  so  you  can  see  what  an  important  position  the 
oldest  son  holds  in  his  clan,  for  clan  feeling  is  very  strong 
in  Korea.  It  often  works  havoc  in  an  entire  family  when 
the  oldest  son  decides  to  become  a Christian,  for  it  means 
that  he  will  have  to  surrender  all  the  honor,  emoluments, 
authority,  and  privileges  of  the  head  of  his  home,  and  in 
the  East  that  is  not  a little. 

Just  last  week  Dr.  Nisbet  found  that  the  humble  coolie 
who  carries  his  country  load  was  the  head  of  his  branch 
of  the  Cho  clan.  Because  he  would  not  take  charge  of 
the  ancestral  sacrifice,  he  had  surrendered  the  use  of  the 
family  ricefields  to  other  members  of  the  clan.  Now  the 
use  of  these  fields  would  make  him  independent;  and  yet 
for  Christ’s  sake  he  became  poor  and  was  carrying  a heavy 
load  twenty  miles  a day  for  food  and  sixty-five  sen,  about 
32 Yz  cents. 

Spirits. — Buddhism  once  took  strong  hold  on  the 
Koreans,  and  there  are  temples  scattered  over  the  land, 
and  traces  of  its  influence  are  found  in  their  reluctance 
to  kill  animals  and  in  their  belief  in  the  transmigration  of 
the  soul.  But,  “Little  Orphant  Annie”  must  have  come  to 
the  Hermit  Nation  long  before  James  Whitcomb  Riley  ever 
met  her,  for  every  Korean  knows  that,  “The  Goble-uns  31 
git  you,  ef  you  don’t  watch  out,”  for  they  are  waiting 
everywhere  for  you.  Shamanism  peoples  the  world  with 
spirits,  demons,  gods,  both  good  and  evil,  but  mostly  evil.  I 
asked  one  of  my  Korean  friends,  “Why  don’t  you  make 
offerings  to  the  good  spirits,  too?”  “Why,”  he  answered, 


THE  GREAT  INGATHERING  105 

“what  is  the  use?  They  are  not  going  to  bring  us  any 
harm  anyhow,”  which  is  proof  positive  that  virtue  does 
not  always  bring  its  own  reward. 

In  every  Korean  home  there  are  three  spirit  nests  or 
homes  for  fetiches.  In  the  kitchen  it  is  perhaps  a small 
bowl,  where  offerings  are  made  to  the  kitchen  demon; 
back  of  the  home  is  a little  nest  of  straw  rope  or  paper, 
where  the  spirit  of  the  home  site  dwells;  while  the  spirit 
cf  the  ridge  pole  abides  in  a bundle  of  paper  fastened  to 
a great  beam  in  the  ceiling.  If  any  of  these  are  offended, 
then  there  will  certainly  be  great  misfortune  to  that  home. 

They  also  believe  in  other  spirits  whose  special  duty 
is  to  watch  over  contagious  diseases,  the  mountains,  the 
springs,  the  weather,  the  river,  all  phases  of  life.  Almost 
anywhere  you  go  in  Korea,  you  will  see  some  tree  by  it- 
self, hung  with  scraps  of  bright  cloth  or  a little  rice  in  a 
bag.  That  is  a demon  tree  and  if  you  wait  long  enough 
you  will  see  some  poor  mother  come  and  prostrate  her- 
self, and  hang  a little  rice  or  food  to  the  tree,  asking  the 
spirit  to  bring  cooling  to  the  fever  spirit  that  is  killing 
her  child. 

Devil  Posts. — The  roads  to  many  villages  have  devil 
posts  set  up  at  the  entrance  to  the  village  to  keep  out 
sickness  and  trouble.  One  interesting  thing  about  them 
is  that  the  male  post  has  such  a hilarious  expression  as 
though  he  were  saying,  “Everybody  works  but  father,” 
while  the  female  post  is  the  last  thing  in  piousity  of  ex- 
pression. 

Red  Clay. — The  first  two  weeks  of  the  Korean  new 
year  are  practically  given  over  to  feasting  and  worship- 
ping the  spirits.  In  addition  to  the  regular  ancestral  wor- 
ship at  this  time  there  are  some  very  interesting  things 
done.  If  you  want  to  be  very  sure  no  demon  will  come 
near  your  home,  you  hunt  until  you  get  very  red  clay 
and  sprinkle  it  upon  the  path.  I was  out  preaching  last 
New  Year’s  Day  with  a Korean  friend  and  we  saw  two 


1 06 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


places  where  the  red  of  the  clay  had  been  increased  by 
the  addition  of  red  ink.  This  is  to  imitate  blood  soaked 
earth,  which  is  a sure  preventive  for  demons  of  every 
kind.  There  is  food  for  thought  in  that  a nation,  which 
has  known  nothing  of  the  power  of  His  Blood,  should 
trust  to  this  symbol. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  the  new  year,  they  have  another 
custom  that  reminds  you  of  the  scape  goat  of  the  Old 
Testament.  They  make  a little  straw  man,  and  put  a few 
sen  in  him,  and  carry  him  and  throw  him  where  two  roads 
cross.  Whoever  picks  him  up  will  carry  away  all  the  ills 
that  would  have  come  to  that  home  that  year.  The  beg- 
gar boys  already  have  so  many  ills,  that  a few  more  or 
less  won’t  make  any  difference;  so  they  go  around  next 
day  and  gather  them  for  the  sake  of  the  few  cents  inside. 

Pansoo. — Nearly  all  heathen  people  believe  the  blind 
have  the  power  to  see  into  the  unseen  world ; so  the  Pan- 
soo, or  blind  “decider  of  destiny,”  is  a distinct  business 
in  Korea.  He  is  a kind  of  fortune  teller  and  grows  almost 
as  expert  as  the  oracle  at  Delphi  in  ambiguous  answers. 

Moo-tang. — Altogether  different  the  moo-tang,  who  is 
always  a woman.  The  word  “moo-tang”  means  deceiv- 
ing the  crowd,  and  is  certainly  a good  name,  although  it 
is  given  her  because  she  is  supposed  to  possess  power  over 
the  crowd  of  spirits.  It  is  the  moo-tang  who  is  called  in 
to  drive  out  the  smallpox  spirit,  to  calm  the  sea  spirit 
in  time  of  storm,  to  appease  the  great  Dragon  so  the  crops 
may  not  suffer. 

Cost  of  Demon  Worship. — It  is  estimated  that  in  Seoul 
alone  there  are  4,000  sorceresses,  and  that  demon  worship 
costs  the  people  $2,500,000  a year.  Even  as  Paul  found 
the  sorcerer  at  Paphos  a determined  opponent  of  the  gos- 
pel, so  they  as  a class  are  still  hard  to  reach.  The  only 
time  I have  ever  had  stones  thrown  at  me  in  Korea  was 


THE  GREAT  INGATHERING 


107 


when,  in  trying  to  preach  the  gospel  in  every  home  in  a 
certain  part  of  the  city,  a Korean  friend  and  I visited  the 
home  of  a sorceress. 

Let  none  laugh  at  these  superstitions.  I can  think  of 
no  more  fearful  curse  than  to  live  in  a world  peopled  with 
demons  and  evil  spirits,  always  waiting  to  destroy  your 
loved  ones  and  to  overthrow  your  happiness. 

Let  us  haste  with  the  tidings  of  Him,  the  knowledge  of 
Whom  makes  free  indeed. 


(i)  Men’s  Mid-Winter  Bible  Class,  Soonchun;  (2)  Alexander 
Hospital,  Soonchun;  (3)  Missionary  Helpers,  Soonchun. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

lifting  tfce  JKSJfjeat 


(191C-1919) 


CHAPTER  IV. 


lifting  tlje  aSHfjcat 


1.  Japanese  Annexation,  1910. 

2.  Korea’s  Equipment. 

3.  Opening  Soonchun  Station: 

(1)  Baptism  of  Fire, 

(2)  Mother  Koo, 

(3)  Mr.  Y.  J.  Kim. 

4.  Development  of  Hospital  Work: 

(1)  Hospitals, 

(2)  Repair  Work, 

(3)  Lepers. 

5.  Development  of  School  Work: 

(1)  Beginning, 

(2)  Academies, 

(3)  Self-help, 

(4)  Manual  Training, 

(5)  Japanese  Law, 

(6)  Severance  Medical  College. 

6.  Development  of  the  Church: 

(1)  General  Assembly, 

(2)  Presbyteries, 

(3)  Quelpart, 

(4)  Mission  to  Chinese  in  Lai  Yang. 

7.  Other  Organizations: 

(1)  Salvation  Army, 

(2)  Y.  M.  C.  A. 


I 


CHAPTER  IV. 

lifting  H)c  IBSfjeat 

1910-1919. 

“And  the  Lord  said,  Simon,  Simon,  behold,  Satan  hath  de- 
sired to  have  you,  that  he  may  sift  you  as  wheat;  but  I have 
prayed  for  thee,  that  thy  faith  fail  not;  and  when  thou  art  con- 
verted, strengthen  thy  brethren  ” — Luke  22:31,  32. 

The  next  nine  years  might  be  said  to  be  a period  of 
intensive  growth  and  development  of  the  Korean  Church. 
While  a steady  increase  continued,  the  movement  of  the 
masses  toward  the  church  had  gradually  ceased  with  the 
establishment  of  stable  conditions  in  the  country,  and  with 
the  adoption  of  a changed  attitude  by  the  new  Govern- 
ment toward  Christianity. 

“ Chosen/  ’ — In  August  1910  Japan  formally  annexed 
Korea,  restoring  the  former  name  “ Chosen”  as  against 
the  more  pretentious  name  “Taihan”  (Great  Han) 
adopted  by  King  Yi  twenty-five  years  before,  when  he 
assumed  the  title  of  “Emperor.”  “Chosen,”  often  trans- 
lated “Land  of  Morning  Calm,”  probably  means  “Land 
of  Morning  Radiance,” — referring  to  its  position  as  lying 
towards  the  sun-rising  from  China.  This  name  has  been 
in  constant  use  from  the  beginning  of  the  Yi  dynasty  250 
years  ago,  at  which  time  this  ancient  name  was  restored 
in  place  of  the  name  “Ko-ku-tyu”  (Chinese  pronuncia- 
tion, “Koriko”),  from  which  we  derive  our  English  name 
“Korea.” 

The  land  was  called  “Chosen”  as  early  as  in  the  days 
of  Emperor  Tangun,  2000  years  B.  C.,  and  the  name  was 
revived  by  the  illustrious  Kija,  who  with  5,000  followers 
fled  from  China  to  Korea  1122  B.  C. 


1 1 2 


•DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


Kija  is  the  Columbus,  George  Washington,  Abraham 
Lincoln  of  Korea  all  in  one.  The  stories  that  are  told  of 
his  goodness  and  wisdom  would  fill  volumes.  He  and  his 
followers  ruled  Chosen  for  over  a thousand  years.  He 
eventually  ascended  into  heaven,  but  like  Cinderella, 
dropped  a slipper  in  passing  and  this  is  buried  near 
Pyengyang. 

Call  for  Reinforcements. — It  was  in  1910  that  first  the 
Ad  Interim  Committee  and  afterwards  the  mission  at  its 
regular  meeting  sent  out  the  famous  call  for  reinforce- 
ments to  man  the  entire  Chosen  work.  The  laymen  at 
home  took  up  the  work  with  enthusiasm  and  the  Church 
responded  to  the  call  in  a wonderful  way.  Not  only  was 
money  given  for  building  hospitals,  homes,  schools  for 
different  stations ; but  one  generous  layman  agreed  to  take 
over  the  entire  support  and  maintenance  of  the  new  and 
last  station,  Soonchun,  which  was  to  be  opened  in  the 
southern  part  of  South  Chulla.  In  three  years  we  also 
received  thirty-two  new  missionaries.  We  felt  with  this 
splendid  equipment  and  force  that  we  could  organize  and 
carry  on  our  work  to  completion ; but  alas ! out  of  that 
thirty-two,  ten  have  been  forced  to  go  home,  eight  of 
whom  were  invalided  and  two  returned  for  other  reasons. 

The  Great  Lord  of  the  Harvest  would  have  us  learn 
that  not  by  strength  nor  by  might  is  His  work  done,  but 
by  humble  reliance  on  Him.  What  lesson  we  are  to  learn 
we  know  not,  but  the  Chosen  Mission’s  losses  for  health 
reasons  have  been  terrific.  Since  1910  twenty-one  male 
missionaries  have  come  to  Chosen,  and  during  that  time 
we  have  lost  twelve,  an  average  gain  of  just  one  a year. 

Soonchun  Personnel. — At  Mission  meeting  in  1912,  it 
was  decided  to  assign  Rev.  and  Mrs.  J.  F.  Preston,  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  R.  T.  Coit,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Pratt,  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  H.  L.  Timmons,  Miss  Meta  Biggar,  Miss  Lavalette 
Dupuy,  and  Miss  Anna  Lou  Greer  to  Soonchun  Station. 


SIFTING  THE  WHEAT 


113 

Messrs.  Preston  and  Pratt  had  worked  indefatigably 
in  the  homeland  with  the  laymen  for  the  Korea  equip- 
ment, and  much  of  the  success  was  due  to  their  energy 
and  enthusiasm. 

Land  had  been  bought  at  Soonchun,  a beautiful  walled 
city  seventy  miles  southeast  of  Kwangju,  and  homes  for 
the  missionaries  were  rapidly  pushed  to  completion. 
These  were  all  built  of  stone,  which  was  near  in  abund- 
ance, and  of  a beautiful  and  fine  quality.  In  April  of 
1913,  the  homes  were  far  enough  advanced  to  warrant 
moving,  and  Messrs.  Preston  and  Coit  with  their  families 
moved  down.  One  week  later  the  Coit  children  were  at- 
tacked with  malignant  dysentery  and  after  a short  illness, 
transplanted  to  bloom  in  the  Father’s  Home.  Mrs.  Coit, 
too,  contracted  the  disease,  but  in  answer  to  fervent, 
united  prayer,  God  spared  her  to  us.  Soonchun  Station, 
having  thus  been  opened  with  a baptism  of  fire,  began  its 
work  with  more  than  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  reality  of 
unseen  things  and  the  glorious  hope  of  the  Resurrection, 
to  proclaim  to  those  around  them  Him  who  has  come  with 
the  healing  touch.  This  station  is  noted  as  being  the  first 
and  only  one  in  Chosen  which  opened  with  all  its  workers 
and  equipment  in  hand. 

Dr.  C.  C.  Owen  had  faithfully  visited  the  Soonchun 
territory  from  Kwangju,  and  so  it  was  not  like  opening 
up  a virgin  field.  Many  villages  had  been  visited,  tracts 
distributed,  and  here  and  there  were  groups  of  believers 
and  a church. 

Old  Mother  Koo. — At  Kwangju,  near  Soonchun,  lived 
old  mother  Koo,  indeed  a mother  in  Israel,  who  for  sev- 
eral years  before  opening  the  work  at  Soonchun,  in  her 
desire  to  know  more  of  her  Savior,  had  walked  through 
the  snow  and  ice  seventy-five  miles  to  the  ten  days’  Bible 
class  in  Kwangju.  Each  time  she  came,  she  pleaded  for 
someone  to  come  to  her  village  to  teach  the  women;  so, 
great  was  her  delight  and  that  of  other  women  when 
work  was  opened  at  Soonchun. 


1 14  DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 

Some  twenty  years  ago  Mrs.  Koo  was  a resident  of 
Seoul,  and  employed  with  a host  of  others  in  the  service 
of  Queen  Min.  At  that  time  she  was  a devout  Buddhist, 
never  ate  any  meat,  and  would  not  kill  even  a fly.  In 
passing  a butcher  shop  she  always  made  special  prayer. 
But  she  had  no  peace  of  heart.  Her  late  majesty,  the 
Queen,  gave  her  faithful  servant  some  of  the  crown  lands 
in  the  south  of  Chosen  and  put  her  son  in  charge  of  col- 
lecting the  revenue  from  others.  Thus  it  was  that  Mother 
Koo  moved  to  South  Chulla  near  Soonchun  with  her  oldest 
son  and  his  two  wives. 

One  day  she  had  gone  to  a village  some  five  miles  dis- 
tant on  business,  and  passing  a building  she  heard  strange 
sounds,  “Peace,  peace,  wonderful  peace,  gift  of  God’s 
love.”  Now  peace  was  the  one  thing  that  Mother  Koo 
had  never  had,  but  had  always  desired.  Like  a will-o-the- 
wisp  it  seemed  always  just  within  her  grasp,  but  still 
eluding  her.  With  one  of  her  village  friends  who  hap- 
pened to  be  a Christian,  she  went  in  for  a “sight  see”  of 
the  services. 

Just  As  I Am. — The  words  of  the  speaker,  a Korean, 
were  strongly  convicting  in  their  power,  and  mother  Koo, 
who  had  worked  for  seventy  years  to  obtain  merit,  that 
she  might  not  go  empty  handed  to  the  Buddhist  paradise 
now  heard  that, 

“Just  as  I am  without  one  plea, 

But  that  thy  blood  was  shed  for  me,” 

she  could  go  to  her  Savior.  Before  the  service  was  ended 
Mother  Koo  decided  that  was  the  kind  of  religion  she 
wanted,  and  in  all  the  trials  that  followed  that  first  de- 
cision her  faith  never  wavered. 

Returning  home  she  told  her  son  that  he  too  must  go 
and  believe.  Now,  he  was  a drinking  man,  and  had  no 
desire  to  go,  but  filial  obedience  made  it  necessary  for  him 


SIFTING  THE  WHEAT 


115 

to  listen  to  the  oft  repeated  urgings,  so  he  too  went  over 
the  mountain  to  the  little  church.  At  first  he  was  not 
much  impressed,  for  he  had  no  desire  to  give  up  his  wine ; 
besides  he  had  two  wives.  But  his  mother  never  ceased 
her  admonitions  and  at  the  end  of  the  month  he,  too, 
decided  to  put  off  the  old  man,  and  he  and  his  household 
were  enrolled  as  inquirers. 

Mother  Koo  was  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season 
in  preaching  to  her  neighbors,  and  great  was  her  joy 
when  her  son  was  finally  baptized  and  became  leader  of 
his  village  group,  his  wife  number  two  having  died. 
Year  after  year  Mother  Koo’s  hair  grows  whiter,  but  her 
natural  strength  is  little  abated,  and  from  village  to  vil- 
lage she  goes  telling  the  gospel  story. 

Rev.  R.  T.  Coit  her  “Moksa, ” missionary  pastor,  says: 
“Last  year  in  crossing  over  a very  high  mountain  pass, 
I heard  someone  call  me,  and  looking  back,  saw  Mother 
Koo  climbing  the  mountain  pass  almost  as  fast  as  I had 
done.  She  had  heard  that  I was  going  to  a nearby  church, 
so  she  had  risen  early  to  go  with  me;  hungry  herself  to 
hear  the  Word  and  carry  some  crumbs  to  others.”  She 
is  now  nearly  eighty,  and  her  hoary  head  is  a crown  of 
glory,  but  her  one  desire  is  still  to  usher  in  the  reign  of 
the  Prince  of  Peace. 

The  Church  Curtain. — She  reminds  me  of  grandmother 
Chay,  of  Pun-doo-dy  in  Kunsan  territory,  a good  old  saint 
in  Israel,  who  having  heard  the  gospel  accepted  it  with 
joy  and  forthwith  exhorted  her  sons  and  grandsons  and 
daughters  and  granddaughters  to  believe  and  be  at  peace 
as  she  was.  She  was  a widow  and  her  oldest  son  was  the 
oldest  man  of  the  Chay  clan  and  therefore  ruled  the  clan, 
but  grandmother  Chay  ruled  him.  Mr.  Chay  was  called 
Church  Leader,  but  they  just  called  him  that,  for  Mrs. 
Chay  was  the  real  leader.  The  Korean  church  has  a cur- 
tain down  the  middle  of  the  auditorium,  dividing  the  men 
from  the  women.  No  man  is  allowed  on  the  women's 


ii6 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


side  and  no  woman  is  allowed  on  the  men’s  side,  but 
grandmother  Chay  did  not  hesitate  to  go  into  the  pulpit, 
from  which  vantage  point  she  could  see  both  her  sons  and 
her  daughters,  and  call  even  the  “Church  Leader”  to 
order  if  she  questioned  his  conduct.  But  we  long  for  a 
host  of  such  grandmothers,  for  of  her  descendants  some 
seventy  are  members  of  this  country  church,  and  two  of 
her  sons  are  elders  and  one  is  a candidate  for  the  minis- 
try. Grandmother  Chay  has  gone  on  to  her  reward  to 
await  a mighty  host  of  children  and  children’s  children  as 
they  come  on  later  to  be  with  their  Lord. 

Y.  J.  Kim. — No  story  of  how  the  Gospel  came  to  Soon- 
chun  territory  would  be  complete  without  some  mention 
of  Mr.  Y.  J.  Kim.  Now  I am  sure  you  will  think  the  Kim 
family  has  done  a great  deal  of  good  work  in  Chosen,  and 
and  so  they  have ; for  Kim  is  more  common  in  Korea  than 
Smith  is  in  America.  Mr.  Kim  was  a Seoul  man,  and  had 
a wife  and  three  daughters  there,  but  his  wife  had  given 
him  no  son;  therefore  in  true  oriental  fashion,  there  was 
for  him  no  pleasure  in  his  home  or  children. 

Found  Jesus  at  the  Hospital. — When  he  moved  to 
Mokpo,  he  left  his  wife  and  daughters  in  Seoul,  and  took 
a very  sweet  attractive  young  woman  as  second  wife.  To 
her  was  born  a son  and  a daughter,  and  being  a very 
lovable,  bright  woman,  Mr.  Kim  was  very  happy  in  his 
new  home.  Like  many  another  he  was  won  through  our 
medical  work.  Though  he  had  heard  the  Gospel  many 
times  before,  after  an  operation  he  attended  church  out 
of  courtesy  and  pure  gratitude.  Mr.  Kim  did  not  want 
to  believe  this  new  doctrine,  for  it  meant  to  him  the  up- 
setting of  his  mode  of  life.  Our  church  in  Chosen  does 
not  allow  a man  any  choice  as  to  which  wife  he  will  re- 
tain, holding  that  the  first  wife  is  the  legal  one  and  that 
all  others  must  be  put  away  before  a man  can  enter 
the  church.  Mr.  Kim  loved  his  second  wife,  whom  he 
himself  had  chosen.  She  was  beautiful,  a good  house- 


SIFTING  THE  WHEAT 


II 7 


keeper, — then,  they  had  two  lovely  children,  one  a son, 
the  desire  of  his  heart. 

His  first  wife  older  than  he,  was  chosen  for  him  by 
his  parents  while  he  was  still  a boy,  and  naturally  his 
affection  for  her  was  not  so  great.  The  struggle  was  long 
and  fierce,  but  the  Man  of  Galilee  conquered.  Mr.  Kim 
had  a long  talk  with  the  wife  of  his  heart,  made  over  to 
her  his  tile  roof  house,  with  all  its  furniture  and  even 
allowed  her  personally  to  keep  the  son;  which  was  a 
wonderful  concession  for  an  Eastern  man  to  make.  He 
then  sent  for  his  first  wife  and  daughters  to  come  down 
from  Seoul,  and  live  with  him,  as  he  had  decided  to  be  a 
Christian. 

Doing  Right  Endangers  Life. — They  could  hardly  be- 
lieve the  good  news,  but  Mr.  Kim’s  decision,  so  hard  for 
him  personally,  almost  cost  him  his  life.  The  brother  and 
mother  of  his  young  wife,  enraged  at  his  decision,  beat 
him  and  tore  his  clothes  off.  The  brother  seized  a knife 
and  pursued  Mr.  Kim  to  the  home  of  the  missionary,  but 
he  finally  escaped  without  serious  bodily  injury. 

For  six  years,  until  she  entered  one  of  our  hospitals 
as  trained  nurse,  he  faithfully  provided  for  the  mother 
of  his  boy,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  her  and  her 
mother  both  become  earnest  Christians. 

Mr.  Kim  went  with  Mr.  Preston  to  Soonchun  as  evan- 
gelistic helper  and  secretary,  and  is  now  one  of  the 
strongest  powers  in  that  field.  He  was  installed  as  an 
elder  in  the  local  Soonchun  church  in  1918. 

Which  Is  the  Real  Wife? — -This  question  of  two  wives 
is  one  of  the  most  difficult  that  confronts  the  Korean 
Church.  According  to  Korean  custom,  a man  has  abso- 
lutely no  say  so  as  to  whom  he  marries.  He  does  not 
even  see  her.  The  arrangements  are  made  by  his  parents 
with  a “go-between.”  Often  the  girl  is  older  than  he  is. 
Later  in  life  if  he  is  rich  enough,  and  desires,  he  will  take 
a concubine,  whom  he  himself  chooses ; and  if  left  to  him- 


Il8  DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 

self  as  to  which  wife  he  would  keep  I suppose  he  would 
always  choose  number  two;  but  our  church  holds  that 
Leah  and  not  Rachel  was  the  true  wife,  and  Korean  cus- 
tom strongly  supports  that  view,  for  the  real  heathen  mar- 
riage rite  is  not  in  the  feast,  nor  in  bowing  seven  times  to 
a wooden  goose,  the  emblem  of  conjugal  fidelity,  but  in 
the  bride  and  groom’s  exchanging  papers.  Hers  has  his 
seal  on  it  and  she  puts,  the  print  of  her  thumb  in  red  wax 
on  his,  if.  she  has  no  seal.  Now  a man  can  exchange  mar- 
riage papers  with  only  one  woman  and  that  is  his  first 
wife.  The  only  divorce  recognized  is  when  they  re-ex- 
change papers ; and  a Korean  girl  guards  her  marriage  cer- 
tificate as  her  life. 

If  there  are  sons  by  the  first  wife,  the  children  of  a 
concubine,  strictly  speaking,  have  no  rights  at  all.  They 
may  not  become  heirs  nor  sacrifice  to  the  father  after 
his  death.  But  if  the  first  wife  is  barren,  then  the  father 
can  either  adopt  a son  or  allow  the  second  wife’s  child  to 
become  heir  as  he  chooses. 

But  the  stand  a man  takes  on  this  question  has  every- 
thing to  do  with  his  influence  as  a Christian  in  his  com- 
munity. 

Avoiding  the  Appearance  of  Evil. — Now,  Mr.  Kim 
continued  to  live  in  Mokpo  some  five  years  after  he  be- 
came a Christian,  but  he  lived  in  one  part  of  the  city  and 
his  son’s  mother  in  another.  Never  did  he  even  enter  her 
home.  If  they  had  to  exchange  messages  about  their  two 
younger  children,  he  sent  his  oldest  daughter.  They  were 
most  careful  never  to  be  seen  speaking  even  on  the  street. 
Since  he  moved  to  Soonchun  he  has  never  been  back  here 
for  fear  some  one  would  think  he  came  to  see  his  second 
wife. 

About  the  same  time  Mr.  Mang,  a well-to-do  man, 
became  a Christian.  He  too  had  a second  wife,  so  he 
gave  her  a little  home  about  four  miles  from  where  he 
and  his  first  wife  live.  She  and  her  children  live  there 


SIFTING  THE  WHEAT 


119 

and  Mr.  Mang  helps  support  them.  As  he  supports  her 
and  as  she  is  a good  seamstress,  he  often  takes  over  sew- 
ing for  her  to  do.  He  is  careful  not  to  go  too  often  and 
says  he  has  to  see  her  sometime  to  talk  over  the  welfare 
of  their  children;  but  Mr.  Mang’s  influence  as  a Christian 
in  his  community  is  null  and  void.  His  heathen  neighbors 
do  not  believe  that  he  is  a real  Christian. 

Island  Work. — Although  Mokpo  is  a harbor,  even 
from  the  seven  hundred  foot  hill  that  stands  sentinel  over 
it,  the  open  sea  is  not  visible.  North,  west  and  south 
there  is  the  appearance  of  some  mighty  inundation  with 
valleys  submerged,  and  only  hills  and  mountains  rearing 
themselves  above  the  universal  flood.  So  thick  in  every 
direction  do  the  islands  lie  that  they  cannot  be  distin- 
guished from  the  mainland. 

Our  Islands. — In  the  territory  for  which  the  Southern 
Presbyterian  Church  agreed  to  be  responsible,  there  are 
more  . than  two  hundred  inhabited  islands,  large  and 
small ; some  with  many  villages  and  thousands  of  houses ; 
others  merely  great  rocks  rising  precipitously  out  of  the 
sea,  and  with  a few  houses  clinging  precariously  to  the 
sunny  side.  Altogether  the  island  inhabitants  in  our  field 
number  over  200,000  people,  who,  in  spite  of  their  isola- 
tion, differ  very  little  from  the  people  of  the  mainland. 
The  people  live  largely  by  fishing  and  gathering  sea 
products,  although  on  the  larger  islands  there  are  good 
farm  lands  too. 

Island  Travel. — Among  the  islands,  tides  are  swift 
and  run  in  every  direction,  according  to  the  contour 
of  the  land.  Winds  are  liable  to  blow  with  hurricane 
force  any  month  in  the  year,  but  they  are  especially  preva- 
lent in  the  winter,  while  the  wet  summers  are  subject 
to  constant  fogs. 

Even  to-day  in  spite  of  greatly  increased  facilities 
for  travel,  itinerating  among  the  islands  is  no  sinecure, 


120 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


and  in  the  early  days  they  were  so  difficult  of  access  and 
the  workers  so  few,  that,  necessarily,  they  were  left 
almost  virgin  soil. 

Rev.  H.  D.  McCallie. — However,  a number  of  the  larger 
islands  connected  with  the  mainland  by  ferries  were  faith- 
fully visited  by  Dr.  Owen  and  Mr.  Preston,  and  the  fruit 
of  their  labors  remains  in  some  of  our  largest  and  best 
churches,  but  it  was  not  until  the  coming  of  Rev.  H.  D. 
McCallie  in  1907  that  the  Mission  could  set  a man  apart 
definitely  for  island  work. 

I’ll  let  Mr.  McCallie  tell  in  his  own  words  of  how  he 
began  and  carried  on  the  work  of  preaching  the  Good 
News  to  these  isolated  people : 

“The  first  thing  was  to  spy  out  the  land  and  make 
the  general  proclamation  of  the  Gospel  as  broad  as  pos- 
sible to  be  followed  up  later  by  more  intensive  work  ac- 
cording to  developments.  The  usual  method  was  to  char- 
ter an  open  sail  boat,  load  it  down  with  gospels  at  one 
cent  each,  tracts  by  the  thousand, . cook  and  food,  lan- 
guage teacher,  and  several  colporteurs  and  sail  away  ac- 
cording to  wind  and  tide  on  trips  varying  from  two  to 
six  weeks.  We  had  neither  chart  nor  compass  but  just 
went  from  island  to  island,  visiting  village  by  village, 
house  by  house,  proclaiming  the  glad  news  that  Jesus  had 
come  to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost.” 

Reception. — Everywhere  they  met  a kind  and  hospi- 
table reception  and  often  they  preached  to  attentive 
crowds  of  people.  Mr.  McCallie  had  all  the  sensations  of 
an  explorer,  as  in  a vast  majority  of  cases  he  was  the  first 
white  man  as  well  as  the  first  herald  of  the  Gospel,  to 
visit  these  islands. 

Often  at  his  approach,  the  children  went  scurrying 
home,  and  women  working  in  the  fields  scurried  away  like 
frightened  rabbits  to  shelter.  Money  in  those  days  was 
very  scarce  on  the  islands,  so  often  the  boat  would  return 
to  Mokpo  empty  of  gospels  but  full  of  sea  weed,  dried 


SIFTING  THE  WHEAT 


121 


fish,  eggs,  and  chickens  that  had  been  received  in  ex- 
change. 

The  Gospel  to  Kum-mu-do. — Mr.  McCallie  tells  us 
himself  how  they  brought  the  Gospel  to  Kum-mu-do. 
“One  bright  September  day  in  1909  the  Gospel  boat  was 
sailing  along  the  precipitous  coast  of  a large  island  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  east  of  Mokpo.  It  was  grow- 
ing late,  so  it  was  necessary  to  find  somewhere  to  spend 
the  night.  We  did  not  even  know  the  name  of  the  island, 
but  God  was  leading  and  a break  in  the  lonely  cliff  dis- 
closed a lovely  little  bay  with  a village  of  some  sixty 
homes  nestling  on  its  shores.  That  night  a large  crowd 
assembled  as  usual  for  a ‘Sight-see’  of  the  strange  white 
man  with  his  queer  clothes;  but  they  were  well  behaved 
and  seemed  to  be  above  the  average  in  culture  and  intel- 
ligence.” 

How  the  Good  News  Spread. — “Our  message  received 
a most  respectful  hearing  and  quite  a number  lingered 
till  after  midnight  asking  questions.  We  explained  what 
day  was  the  Christian  Sabbath,  and  just  how  God  was  to 
be  worshipped  on  that  day,  and  a large  number  signified 
their  desire  to  believe.  I had  no  teacher  to  leave  behind, 
but  they  showed  their  earnestness  by  sending,  after  we 
left,  to  the  mainland  for  a Christian  to  come  and  teach 
them.  The  following  winter,  nine  attended  the  ten  days’ 
Bible  class  at  Kwangju,  requiring  a walk  of  about  three 
hundred  miles  for  the  trip.  After  this  they  made  rapid 
progress  and  on  my  visit  in  May,  I found  over  two  hun- 
dred meeting  regularly.  From  that  time  on  I tried  to 
send  a helper  there  regularly;  and  just  two  years  after  my 
first  visit  to  Kum-mu  Island,  I baptized  twenty-three  in 
the  little  church  they  had  built  with  their  own  hands. 
Twice  since  then  I have  baptized  more  than  forty  at  a 
time.” 

“Mr.  Preston  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  the 
people  of  this  island  had  previously  heard  the  Gospel 


(i)  Home  for  Lepers;  (2)  Lepers;  (3)  Owen  Memorial 
Bible  School;  (4)  Ellen  Lavine  Graham  Hospital  and 
Dispensary;  all  at  Kwangju. 


SIFTING  THE  WHEAT 


123 


from  a Church  on  the  mainland  established  by  Dr.  Owen, 
and  had  for  some  months  been  desirous  of  a visit  from  a 
missionary.” 

In  his  ten  years  among  the  islands,  Mr.  McCallie  has 
developed  a most  wonderful  and  interesting  work,  but  it 
is  easy  to  see  how  difficult  it  is  to  look  after  a parish  scat- 
tered so  widely  and  so  difficult  to  reach.  This  has  been 
especially  true  of  the  women’s  work  on  the  islands;  and 
Miss  Martin  and  Miss  McMurphy  could  write  of  wind  and 
wave  and  typhoon  encountered  in  their  efforts  to  tell  their 
island  sisters  of  the  Savior. 

Development  of  Medical  Work. — This  period  also  saw 
a wonderful  development  in  our  medical  work.  In  four 
of  our  stations  up-to-date  hospitals  were  built,  and  in 
Kunsan  Dr.  J.  B.  Patterson  enlarged  and  improved  the 
buildings  erected  by  Dr.  Daniel  in  1906.  He  can  now 
accommodate  seventy  in-patients.  It  is  a far  cry  from  the 
little  native  dispensary  for  women  in  a small  Korean  home 
in  Chunju,  where  Dr.  Mattie  Ingold  began  her  work, 
using  Smith  Cash  Store  boxes  for  shelves  and  Eagle  con- 
densed milk  boxes  for  drawers,  to  the  present  modern 
hospital  where  Dr.  Robertson  and  Miss  Kestler  have  all 
they  can  do.  In  Mokpo  Dr.  R.  S.  Leadingham  is  in  charge 
of  the  French  Memorial  Hospital.  In  Soonchun  Dr.  Rogers 
and  Miss  Greer,  in  the  Alexander  Hospital,  dispense  the 
only  medical  aid  in  reach  of  the  people  of  that  whole  dis- 
trict. The  'Ellen  Lavine  Graham  Hospital  was  erected  in 
Kwangju  in  1908  by  Dr.  R.  M.  Wilson,  and  accommo- 
dates fifty  in-patients. 

Medical  Practice. — Dr.  Wilson  says  of  his  work,  “It 
seems  that  about  half  of  my  work  is  repairing,  where  some 
native  doctor  has  torn  down.  They  have  a great  system 
of  putting  a needle  into  a joint  or  some  other  aching  part 
of  the  body  to  let  out  the  evil  spirit,  which  they  believe 
has  caused  the  trouble.  Of  course  infections  of  every 
kind  follow  and  amputations  become  necessary.  There  is 


124 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


now  in  the  hospital  a young  woman  dying  as  the  result 
of  the  use  of  one  of  those  needles  or  “chims.”  She  was 
suffering  from  some  cause  so  the  Korean  doctor  put  a 
needle  into  her  jaw,  necrosis  of  the  bone  followed,  and 
after  months  and  months  of  pain,  she  came  to  us.  We 
removed  the  larger  part  of  the  dead  bone  but  the  drain 
on  her  system  had  been  so  prolonged  that  kidney  trouble 
resulted  and  she  is  dying.  The  one  bright  side  to  the 
picture  is  that  these  patients  listen  with  joy  to  the  Gospel ; 
they  seem  more  ready  to  believe  than  others.” 

New  Place  to  Wear  Silk. — “One  form  of  repair  that  I 
have  had  to  do  recently  was  to  remove  foreign  bodies  from 
the  stomach.  A woman  came  in  not  long  ago  saying  she 
had  a mop  in  her  stomach.  She  described  it  by  saying  it 
was  as  long  as  her  forearm,  and  said  it  had  been  there 
for  five  months.  We  operated,  opening  the  stomach  and 
taking  out  a bamboo  stick  with  a bunch  of  silk  in  the 
end.  It  measured  exactly  ten  inches  in  length.  She  was 
soon  well  and  sent  away  happy.” 

“When  the  Koreans  come  to  the  native  doctor  with 
acute  indigestion  or  a similar  ailment,  she  (for  this  kind 
of  practitioner  is  usually  a woman),  tells  them  that  they 
have  a bone  in  the  throat.  Then  this  old  public  mop  is 
forced  down  their  throat.  As  the  patient  vomits,  the 
doctor  slips  a bone  from  out  her  sleeve,  which  she  tri- 
umphantly displays  as  having  been  the  source  of  all  the 
trouble.  Last  year  I removed  one  of  these  mops  from  a 
man’s  stomach  but  he  died  later.  We  found  that  the 
sharp  end  of  the  stick  had  pierced  the  wall  of  the  stomach 
and  injured  the  liver.  Then  a great  abscess  had  formed 
which  had  killed  him.” 

Boy  or  Girl. — “Last  year  a mother  came  with  her  baby 
with  a miserable  crab’s  leg  in  its  throat.  A small  saw 
done  up  in  a bundle  and  put  down  its  throat  couldn’t 
have  been  more  horrible.  After  we  finally  removed  it  I 
asked  the  mother  whether  it  was  a boy  or  a girl,  and  she 


SIFTING  THE  WHEAT 


125 


quickly  replied,  ‘You  don’t  think  I would  bring  a girl 
baby  thirty-five  miles  for  treatment  do  you?’  That  is 
the  real  expression  of  how  they  feel  about  a girl  baby; 
it  is  a sad  day  for  the  mother  and  household  when  one 
is  born.” 

With  all  the  horrors  and  misery  and  sufferings  caused 
by  this  war,  it  is  but  a small  thing  in  comparison  with 
what  is  caused  by  superstition,  ignorance  and  heathen 
methods  of  treatment  in  mission  lands.  You  remember 
it  was  said  of  the  woman  who  came  to  Christ,  that  she 
had  suffered  many  things  of  many  physicians,  and  had 
spent  all  she  had  and  was  nothing  bettered,  but  she  rather 
grew  worse.  This  is  true  of  the  people  living  in  Chosen; 
and  so  our  five  hospitals  with  their  consecrated  physicians 
and  nurses  are  as  lighthouses,  pointing  not  only  to  better 
ways  of  living  and  freedom  from  suffering,  but  to  the 
Christ,  who  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto  but  to  min- 
ister. 

Medical  Work  Entering  Wedge. — The  medical  work 
is  not  only  the  means  of  bringing  many  to  Christ,  but 
even  as  Dr.  Allen  first  opened  up  the  work  here  through 
his  visit  of  healing  in  the  palace  of  the  king,  so  we  often 
find  an  entrance  for  the  King  of  kings  into  an  entire  vil- 
lage through  some  patient  who  has  been  to  one  of  our 
hospitals.  Mr.  McCallie  says,  “We  often  have  great  dif- 
ficulty making  a start  on  some  of  the  new  islands.  Last 
summer  we  visited  the  island  of  Ka-gu-do  for  the  first 
time.  This  place  is  little  more  than  an  island  peak,  jutting 
out  of  the  sea  one  hundred  miles  from  the  mainland.  To 
our  great  surprise,  we  were  met  by  a man  with  one  leg, 
who  gave  us  a warm  welcome,  and  his  beaming  face 
showed  that  he  was  a Christian.  On  inquiry  we  found 
that  at  the  French  Memorial  Hospital,  Mokpo,  he  had 
lost  a leg  but  found  Christ.  He  soon  had  a crowd  gathered 
to  hear  us  preach  and  we  had  a good  service.” 


126 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


Leper  Work. — There  are  about  20,000  lepers  in  Korea, 
largely  in  the  south.  Of  these  about  600  are  segregated  in 
leper  hospitals.  The  rest  roam  at  will  over  the  country. 
The  Government  is  just  beginning  to  take  up  leper  work 
and  now  has  a plant  in  which  they  care  for  about  eighty. 
The  Leper  Mission,  which  cares  for  lepers  all  over  the 
world  has  three  plants  in  Korea ; one  in  Taiku,  one 
in  Fusan,  and  one  in  our  own  Mission  at  Kwangju. 
This  is  supported  and  controlled  by  the  Leper  Mis- 
sion but  supervised  by  a committee  of  three  from 
our  Mission,  with  Dr.  R.  M.  Wilson  in  charge.  There 
are  about  two  hundred  and  eighty  in  the  Kwangju 
hospital,  and  there  is  an  organized  church  there  with 
two  elders  and  a deacon.  One  of  the  most  strik- 
ing things  about  them  is  their  intelligent  Bible  study. 
Through  the  revelation  of  the  Gospel  as  seen  in  the  car- 
ing for  the  leper,  the  outcast  of  society,  several  churches 
have  been  founded.  Paijin  in  the  Mokpo  field  is  one  of 
these,  and  the  father  of  one  of  the  inmates  of  the  Kwangju 
hospital  is  the  leader  of  the  church. 

Schools  a Necessity. — ‘People  differ  about  what  is  a 
real  necessity.  I once  visited  a home,  where,  in  the  midst 
of  December  snows,  there  was  no  coal,  nor  overshoes,  nor 
winter  flannels  for  a family  of  eight,  but  when  asked  to 
name  their  immediate  necessities,  a sixteen-year-old  girl 
said  she  could  do  without  shoes  or  flannels  but  a feather 
boa  was  an  absolute  necessity.  Missionaries  may  differ 
about  other  things  necessary  for  the  work,  but  I am  sure 
we  will  all  agree  that,  if  we  are  to  have  trained  workers, 
men  and  women  skilled  in  the  use  of  God’s  Word,  we  must 
have  schools. 

Kunsan  School. — Early  in  the  days  of  Korean  Mission 
work  this  truth  was  recognized  by  far-sighted  pioneers, 
and  in  Kunsan,  Mrs.  Junkin  gathered  the  boys  in  Mr. 
Junkin’s  study  and  taught  them.  When  the  boys  had  lost 
their  fear  of  a foreigner  and  become  a little  accustomed 


SIFTING  THE  WHEAT 


127 


to  the  school,  Mr.  Junkin  secured  a native  teacher  and 
moved  them  to  a little  Korean  house.  Mrs.  Junkin  then 
turned  her  attention  to  the  girls,  getting  a native  Christian 
woman  to  help  her.  There  was  laid  the  foundation  of  our 
two  fine  schools  in  Kunsan.  When  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Junkin 
were  moved  to  Chunju  in  1902,  Messrs.  Earle  and  Harrison 
carried  on  the  boys’  school  until  reinforced  by  the  coming 
of  Mr.  Venable  and  later  by  Mr.  Linton.  Mrs.  Junkin ’s 
mantle  fell  on  Mrs.  Bull  and  to  her  leadership  do  we  large- 
ly owe  the  wise  foundation  of  the  Mary  Baldwin  School 
in  Kunsan. 

In  Chunju  Miss  Tate  began  a little  girls’  school  in 
1901,  teaching  them  at  first  three  days  a week  and  later 
securing  a native  teacher  for  a day  school,  while  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Harrison  began  a small  school  for  boys. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bell  began  a school  for  boys  and  one  for 
girls  in  Dr.  Owen’s  and  Mr.  Bell’s  Korean  guest  rooms  as 
soon  as  Kwangju  Station  was  opened.  And  Miss  Straef- 
fer  left  an  undying  monument  in  Mokpo  in  the  character 
of  the  young  girls  whom  she  gathered  together  and 
trained  in  lessons  of  love,  forbearance  and  cleanliness. 

First  School  Workers. — But  all  this  early  school  work 
was  done  by  missionary  evangelists,  who  had  large  country 
fields,  “white  unto  the  harvest”  calling  to  them  constant- 
ly, so  the  schools  were  necessarily  of  secondary  considera- 
tion, and  it  was  not  until  1907  that  the  first  missionaries 
were  sent  out  for  strictly  educational  work.  The  death 
of  Miss  Rankin  in  1911  and  the  forced  return  of  Mr.  Ven- 
able in  1917,  were  both  great  blows  to  our  educational 
work. 

We  now  have  at  each  of  our  four  stations,  Chunju, 
Kunsan,  Kwangju  and  Mokpo,  an  eight  grade  girls’  school 
with  boarding  school  attached  so  that  country  girls  can 
have  the  advantages  of  these  schools.  In  each  school  we 
have  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 


128 


BAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


pupils,  and  one  lady  missionary  gives  most  of  her  time  to 
each  of  these  schools. 

At  Kunsan  and  Mokpo  we  have  primary  schools  for 
boys  with  a missionary  giving  part  time  to  each  school, 
but  we  plan  to  send  our  grammar  school  boys  to  Chunju 
and  Kwangju,  where  we  have  academies  for  North  Chnlla 
and  South  Chulla. 

All  over  our  field  we  have  small  church  schools,  which 
act  as  feeders  to  our  Station  Schools.  One  of  our  early 
problems  was  how  to  secure  competent  teachers  for  these 
country  church  schools.  We  had  the  old  Chinese  scholar 
but  wisdom  died  with  him,  before  it  reached  geography  or 
arithmetic ; so  twice  a year  the  teachers  were  all  gathered 
together  for  a month’s  normal  class,  where  they  were  in- 
structed in  what  they  were  to  teach  for  the  next  five 
months.  Let  us  hope  they  did  not  get  dry  before  the  next 
shower  of  knowledge  fell. 

As  we  cannot  make  bricks  without  straw  neither  can 
we  have  a school  without  boys  and  girls.  Poor  as  the  Ko- 
reans are,  how  to  feed  and  clothe  these  country  girls  when 
they  come  into  our  station  schools  is  a puzzling  question, 
but  in  1910,  through  Mrs.  M.  L.  Swinehart’s  initiative,  the 
crochet  needle  and  embroidery  frame  were  introduced  into 
nearly  all  our  Station  girls’  schools,  and  many  a girl  has 
been  enabled  to  learn  lessons  of  cleanliness  and  industry 
and  at  the  same  time  partly  pay  her  way  through  school. 

In  the  boys’  academies  at  Chunju  and  Kwangju  and 
in  our  school  at  Kunsan,  carpentry,  tinning,  shoemaking, 
etc.,  have  been  taught  to  a certain  extent;  but  our  work 
has  been  more  or  less  hampered  because  of  our  need  of 
men  for  educational  work. 

Japan  Excludes  the  Bible. — Soon  after  the  annexation 
of  Chosen  by  Japan,  the  Government  announced  that  all 
schools  not  then  possessing  Government  permits  would 
either  have  to  close  or  else  conform  to  Government  re- 
quirements. Schools  possessing  permits  could  continue  ten 


SIFTING  THE  WHEAT 


129 


years  according  to  former  custom;  but  at  the  end  of  that 
time,  they  too  would  have  to  conform  to  Government 
regulations.  Now  our  four  older  stations  all  had  permits 
for  their  schools,  but  while  application  had  been  made 
for  permits  more  than  two  years  before  for  the  two  flour- 
ishing schools  we  had  opened  at  Soonchun,  the  permits 
had  not  been  granted,  and  the  Soonchun  schools  were 
closed  down.  In  complying  with  Government  regulations 
it  is  impossible  to  make  the  Bible  a part  of  the  curriculum. 

Union  School  Work. — :¥e  unite  in  three  kinds  of 
higher  educational  work  with  the  other  three  Presbyterian 
Missions,  while  the  Severance  Medical  School  is  a union 
school  of  both  Presbyterians  and  Methodists.  It  is  to  edu- 
cate Christian  doctors  and  nurses  for  Korea,  and  is  a 
magnificent  plant  located  in  Seoul.  We  are  represented 
in  it  by  Dr.  K.  S.  Oh,  and  Miss  Elise  J.  Shepping.  Miss 
Shepping  is  at  the  head  of  the  nurses’  training  depart- 
ment. 

We  also  have  a representative,  Mr.  Wm.  P.  Parker, 
in  the  Union  College  at  Pyengyang,  where  our  men  go  for 
further  training  after  graduating  from  our  own  academies. 
Here  too,  we  get  our  teachers  for  our  best  schools. 

The  fact  has  been  mentioned  before  that  we  also  unite 
in  our  seminary  for  the  training  of  our  Presbyterian  min- 
istry and  this  is  located  at  Pyengyang  with  Dr.  S.  A. 
Moffett  as  President. 

Railroads. — In  1913  a railroad  was  completed  link- 
ing Kunsan  with  the  main  line  from  Fusan  to  Mukden, 
and  the  following  year  the  road  was  finished  from  the  main 
line  to  Mokpo.  This  road  passes  within  ten  miles  of 
Kwangju  and  within  twenty  miles  of  Chunju.  Some  en- 
terprising capitalists  built  a narrow  gauge  road  from 
Chunju  connecting  with  this  line.  There  is  good  automo- 
bile service  between  the  railroad  and  Kwangju.  Thus  our 
stations  are  all  much  easier  to  reach  than  formerly.  Soon- 
chun is  still  somewhat  isolated,  but  good  roads  are  being 


130 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


completed  and  we  will  soon  cease  to  sing,  “It  is  a long, 
long  way  to  Soonchun.” 

General  Assembly. — We  have  characterized  this  as 
the  Period  of  Intensive  Growth  in  Korea  because  there  was 
a marked  development  along  all  lines  of  the  Church’s  ac- 
tivities. Up  to  1911  there  was  only  one  presbytery  for 
all  Korea,  but  it  grew  to  be  so  large  that  in  1911,  at 
Taiku,  it  seemed  best  to  organize  a General  Assembly. 

Chulla  Presbytery. — In  September,  1911,  following 
the  action  of  the  mother  Presbytery,  now  growing  into  a 
General  Assembly,  Rev.  P.  S.  Kim  called  together  for 
organization  at  Chunju  all  the  Chulla  presbyters. 

Presbytery  Divided. — Chulla  Presbytery  continued  to 
grow  and  as  the  difficulty  of  travel  made  it  seem  wise  to 
have  one  presbytery  for  North  Chulla  and  one  for  South 
Chulla,  permission  was  secured  from  the  General  Assem- 
bly in  1917  to  form  North  Chulla  and  South  Chulla  Pres- 


Korean  General  Assembly,  1918 


SIFTING  THE  WHEAT  I3I 

byteries  out  of  the  old  Chulla  Presbytery.  Carrying  out 
the  order  of  the  General  Assembly,  Rev.  J.  S.  Nisbet,  D. 
D.,  called  the  South  Chulla  presbyters  to  meet  in  Mokpo, 
September  19,  1917.  There  were  present  six  mission- 
aries, four  Korean  pastors  and  nine  elders.  On  October 
10,  1917,  North  Chulla  Presbytery  was  convened  by  Rev. 
W.  P.  Yi  in  Chunju  where  the  undivided  presbytery  of 
Chulla  had  been  formed.  Thus  we  now  have  the  presby- 
teries of  North  Chulla  and  South  Chulla,  consisting  en- 
tirely of  our  Southern  Presbyterian  constituency,  being 
two  of  the  eleven  presbyteries  which  constitute  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  Korea. 

Home  Missions. — These  two  presbyteries  together  with 
Whang  Hai-do  Presbytery  have  taken  over  entirely  the 
work  in  Quelpart.  Our  two  presbyteries  have  a budget 
for  the  Quelpart  work  of  yen  2,000  or  about  $1,000.00, 
besides  contributing  to  the  mission  work  of  the  Korean 
Assembly.  They  have  two  ordained  men,  Rev.  S.  M.  Yun 
and  Rev.  C.  G.  Kim,  with  their  families  and  helpers  at 
work  there.  Mr.  Kim  was  one  of  the  first  five  baptized  in 
the  Chunju  field,  and  Mr.  Yun  is  one  of  our  first  Seminary 
graduates,  both  fine  strong  men,  who  are  doing  good  work 
among  the  sturdy,  peculiar  race  on  Quelpart. 

For  some  years  the  Church  had  felt  that  Quelpart 
was  not  really  foreign  missions.  The  people  on  this  island 
are  really  Korean,  although  their  customs  and  habits  are 
very  different  from  those  on  the  mainland.  For  example, 
there  is  no  seclusion  of  the  women,  and  the  two  sexes 
have  perfect  equality,  the  women  being  indeed  almost 
Amazons,  since  they  develop  great  strength  and  perfect 
muscles  in  diving  for  seaweed. 

Foreign  Missions. — In  1912  just  twenty-eight  years 
after  the  first  Western  missionaries  landed  in  Chosen,  the 
General  Assembly  decided  to  answer  the  Macedonian  call 
from  the  Chinese  brethren  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in 


132 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


Bible  Conference,  Quelpart  Island 


the  Shantung  Province  of  China,  and  enter  Lai  Yang  dis- 
trict. So  three  native  ordained  evangelists  were  chosen  by 
the  General  Assembly  to  help  carry  out  the  last  command 
of  their  Master  by  giving  their  lives  for  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  China. 

The  three  men  and  their  families  settled  in  Lai  Yang 
city,  about  eighty  miles  from  Chefoo,  and  began  their 
work.  To  quote  from  their  first  report: 

“The  Lai  Yang  district  contains  a few  schools,  which 
teach  the  old  education,  but  most  of  the  people  are  igno- 
rant and  of  low  class.  It  is  hard  to  influence  the  low 
class  people  in  any  country,  but  one  hindrance  to  gospel 
preaching  was  done  away  with  in  Lai  Yang  after  the  mag- 
istrate of  the  district  called  on  us.  From  that  time  on  the 
people  listened  with  interest  and  heeded  our  message.” 

“It  was  the  guidance  of  God  our  Father  that  brought 
the  magistrate  to  our  house.  He  gave  us  all  a big  feast 
at  his  home,  but  being  poor  missionaries,  we  were  in  a 
great  state  of  anxiety  that  these  social  duties  would  take 
time  from  our  preaching.  Then  too  we  had  not  the  money 
to  give  a feast  back.  In  praying  about  it,  we  decided  we 


SIFTING  THE  WHEAT 


133 


would  do  according  to  our  own  custom,  send  some  poetry 
instead  of  an  invitation,  when  one  has  not  money  to  prop- 
erly entertain  in  return.’ ’ 

Poetry  Instead  of  a Feast. — '“One  of  our  number, 
Pastor  Kim  Yung  Hoon,  is  well  educated  in  classical 
poetry,  so  in  very  learned  Chinese  characters,  he  compiled 
a poem,  and  we  sent  it  to  the  magistrate’s  home  instead 
of  an  invitation  to  our  home.” 

“The  outline  of  the  poem  was:  In  the  first  stanza  the 
virtue  of  the  magistrate  was  stated;  the  second  stanza 
elaborated  on  the  friendship  between  the  Chosen  mission- 
aries and  the  magistrate ; the  third  told  of  the  coming  of 
these  missionaries  to  China,  and  the  fourth  stanza  was  a 
persuasive  appeal  to  the  magistrate  to  become  a Christian, 
for  only  by  so  doing  could  he  really  have  good  govern- 
ment.” 

Strange  to  say  the  first  convert  our  workers  had  was 
an  old  and  influential  scholar,  Chang  Soo  Myung,  who  read 
the  poem  sent  to  the  magistrate,  felt  an  interest  in  the 
author  and  called  on  him.  They  were  able  to  converse 
through  the  Chinese  written  characters.  When  admon- 
ished to  believe  on  Christ  he  opposed  them  through  his 
learning,  but  continued  his  visits  in  order  to  exchange 
views  about  the  classics.  Finally  he  was  persuaded  to 
read  the  Bible  and  his  pride  yielded  to  its  power  and  he 
came  asking,  “What  must  I do  to  be  saved?”  He  was 
then  seventy  years  old  and  among  the  scholars  of  Lai 
Yang  district,  all  over  forty  years  old  were  his  students, 
so  the  conversion  of  this  influential  teacher  did  a great 
deal  to  put  our  work  on  a firm  basis.  In  last  report  we 
had  fifty-six  baptized  members  and  a little  sum  of  money 
contributed  to  the  building  of  a church.  The  prayers  of 
two  hundred  thousand  Korean  Christians  behind  these 
men  should  make  them  powerful  in  doing  their  small  por- 
tion towards  the  evangelization  of  China. 


134 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


Other  Organizations. — Happily  Chosen  has  been 
rather  free  from  isms.  At  one  time  the  country  was 
flooded  with  tracts  proclaiming  “Russellism”  and  they 
very  insidiously  took  a name  that  would  appeal  to  the 
Koreans,  for  they  claimed  to  be  published  by  “The 
World’s  United  Young  Peoples’  Bible  Society.”  They 
obtained  no  grip  on  the  people  as  a whole;  for  the  best 
preventive  to  any  poisonous  doctrine  is  good,  prayerful 
Bible  Study,  and  the  Korean  Christian  is  a Bible-loving 
man. 

The  English  Salvation  Army  has  a small  work  in 
North  Chulla,  with  Ensign  Lord  and  his  wife  living  in 
the  city  of  Chunju.  They  make  pleasant  and  helpful 
neighbors  and  they  and  our  own  force  are  the  only  white 
people  preaching  in  these  two  rich  provinces  of  Chulla, 
except  some  French  Catholics. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  Seoul  is  located  on  Chong-no,  or 
Bell  Street,  the  principal  thoroughfare  of  the  city.  Two 
things  no  stranger  can  pass  without  seeing,  the  Y.  M.  C. 
A.,  a monument  to  the  effort  to  bring  the  best  into  the 
lives  of  the  young  men,  and  the  Big  Bell,  which  has  an 
interesting  story. 

Story  of  Big  Bell. — An  old  bellmaker  with  a heart  of 
loyalty,  wanted  to  present  a notable  gift  to  his  king. 
He  thought  long  and  hard  and  at  last  decided  that 
the  best  gift  possible  would  be  a bell  made  with  his  own 
hands,  sweeter  and  richer  in  tone  than  any  other  bell 
that  had  ever  been  made.  So  he  gathered  at  great  cost 
all  the  materials  necessary,  poured  them  into  the  melting 
pot  and  watched  till  the  mass  was  melted  and  assumed 
the  proper  glow  and  then  he  poured  it  into  the  mold.  In 
time  he  swung  it,  drew  back  the  great  pole  clapper  and 
struck  the  bell  and  listened,  all  expectant,  the  hope  of  a 
lifetime  to  be  realized  or  his  great  effort  to  go  for  naught. 
But  the  sound  that  came  forth  was  harsh  and  absolutely 
devoid  of  richness.  The  poor  old  man  was  broken-hearted. 


SIFTING  THE  WHEAT 


135 


But  having  spent  his  all  on  the  bell,  he  must  make  it  a 
success,  so  he  borrowed  of  his  friends,  secured  additional 
materials,  broke  up  the  bell  and  placed  it  all  in  the  melt- 
ing pot  to  try  once  more.  Again  when  the  bell  was  fin- 
ished and  hung,  he  drew  back  the  long  pole,  in  hope  and 
fear  let  it  go  and  again  the  harsh  unmusical  sound  came 
forth,  and  again  the  old  bellmaker  was  broken-hearted. 

He  thought,  and  almost  in  despair  he  sought  help 
from  his  friends  to  make  one  last  effort.  This  time  his 
only  daughter  had  a dream,  “Only  by  human  sacrifice 
could  the  sweet  and  tender  tone  be  secured.”  “How  can 
this  be  secured?”  thought  she,  and  while  her  father  was 
watching  the  metal,  intent  to  see  if  it  had  reached  the 
proper  heat,  he  saw  something  leap  past  him  and  quickly 
lifting  his  eyes  he  saw  his  loved  daughter  sink  into  the 
molten  metal.  She  had  sacrificed  herself  to  secure  the 
wish  of  her  father,  and  make  an  offering  worthy  of  her 
king. 

The  father’s  heart  was  sad,  but  the  daughter  was 
gone  beyond  recall,  so  he  once  more  poured  the  metai, 
hung  the  bell,  drew  back  the  pole,  let  it  go  and  in  all  in- 
tensity listened.  Will  the  tone  be  sweet?  Will  this  that 
carries  the  life-blood  of  my  daughter  be  worthy  of  the 
king  ? And  lo ! tones  came  forth  of  such  sweetness  and 
richness  as  he  had  not  even  imagined.  This  bell  now  hangs 
on  the  main  street  of  Seoul  and  is  worth  while  seeing. 

This  is  but  a legend  of  the  bell  perchance,  but  does  it 
not  speak  out  for  loyalty?  Give  the  best  to  our  King! 
Forget  self  for  the  good  of  others ! 


Teachers,  Mary  Baldwin  School,  Kunsan. 


CHAPTER  V. 


Korean  Jfattfj  in  Action 


CHAPTER  V. 


Korean  Jfaitf)  in  Action 

L.  Faith  Under  Persecution: 

Mrs.  K.  P.  Yi. 

2.  Faith  Casting  Off  Old  Customs  and  Ideas: 

Mr.  U. 

3.  Faith  Sowing  Seed: 

Mrs.  Yi. 

4.  Faith  Under  Temptation: 

Rev.  C.  I.  Yi. 

5.  Faith  Dealing  With  Little  Things  of  Daily  Life 

Chassubby  Umini. 

6.  Faith  Through  Prayer: 

Mr.  Su. 


CHAPTER  V. 

is  ocean  Jfattf)  in  Action 


1.  Faith  under  persecution:  Mrs.  K.  P.  Yi. 

“ For  I am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ;  for  it  is  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  beldeveth ; to  the 
Jew  first , and  also  to  the  Greek.  For  therein  is  the  righteousness 
of  God  revealed  from  faith  to  faith;  as  it  is  written,  the  just 
shall  live  by  faith” — Rom.  1:16-17. 

Girl’s  Position. — Kaundi  Agi  was  a happy  little  girl 
playing  around  the  streams  near  her  home  in  the  northern 
mountains  of  Chosen,  until  one  day  when  she  was  nearly 
fifteen  her  mother  said,  “Kaundi  Agi,  you  must  help  me 
some  now  with  the  sewing;  the  go-between  has  been  here 
and  we  have  arranged  to  marry  you  to  Mr.  Yang’s  son 
. away  over  in  Kolson ; and  so  you  must  help  me  get  ready.” 
In  vain  Kaundi  Agi  said  that  she  did  not  want  to  leave 
her  mother;  she  disliked  the  idea  of  going  among  people 
whom  she  had  never  seen, — please  wait  just  one  more  year 
until  she  was  a little  larger.  The  mother  sighed  but 
answered  firmly,  “You  are  a Korean  girl  and  you  cannot 
do  what  you  want  to  do ; you  must  do  what  the  Lord  of 
the  House  says,  and  since  you  are  not  very  strong  we  are 
fortunate  indeed  in  getting  so  good  a price  for  you  as 
Mr.  Yang  offers.” 

Marriage. — -Kaundi  Agi  had  no  real  name ; she  was 
the  second  daughter,  so  they  called  her  “Kaundi  Agi,” 
the  Middle  One.  Despite  her  tears  and  protestations  she 
was  sent  thirty  miles  from  home  to  the  house  of  the  pros- 
perous farmer,  Mr.  Yang.  There  her  place  as  wife  to  his 
son  was  entirely  secondary  in  all  their  minds  to  her  posi- 
tion as  daughter-in-law  in  the  home.  It  was  not  a question 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


I4O 

of  “Will  her  husband  find  pleasure  in  her?”  but  rather, 
“Will  she  lighten  her  mother-in-law’s  work?”  The  poor 
little  fifteen-year-old  girl  had  to  stifle  her  sobs  and  conceal 
her  longing  for  her  mother  and  for  her  childhood  home, 
for  those  were  all  dead  to  her  now.  She  belonged  abso- 
lutely to  her  new  family. 

The  New  Enemy. — The  Yang  home  was  down  in  the 
valley  and  the  mountain  reared  girl  soon  became  the  vic- 
tim of  malaria.  Added  to  her  natural  homesickness  she 
now  heard  on  all  sides  regrets  for  the  bad  bargain  that 
the  family  had  made  in  getting  such  a weakly  girl.  But 
as  the  mother-in-law  frankly  remarked,  “She  won’t  last 
long,  and  we  shall  be  more  careful  next  time.  I won’t 
trust  any  go-between,  I shall  go  myself  and  pick  out  a 
strong  husky  girl,  one  who  can  lift  heavy  jars  of  water.” 
Poor  little  Middle  One,  is  there  no  eye  that  sees  and 
pities  your  loneliness  and  misery?  Many  a night  when  the 


Rev.  and  Mrs.  K.  P.  Yi. 


Rev.  C.  I.  Yi. 


KOREAN  FAITH  IN  ACTION  141 

rest  of  the  family  was  asleep,  she  crept  out  of  doors,  and 
gazing  up  at  the  stars  that  seemed  to  her  poor  tear-blind- 
ed vision  like  the  eyes  of  guardian  spirits,  she  would  lift 
her  heart  and  voice  in  a cry  for  help. 

No  one  had  ever  told  her  of  God,  she  knew  nothing 
of  His  Son  and  the  wonderful  Home  He  had  prepared ; but 
she  felt  that  somewhere  there  must  be  Someone  who  could 
help  her.  And  so  in  her  ignorance  and  sorrow  she  stood 
night  after  night  out  in  the  starlight  with  arms  out- 
stretched, calling  on  the  unknown  God  to  show  her  the 
way. 

The  New  Friend. — No  one  ever  cries  to  Him  in  vain. 
One  day  her  father-in-law  came  home  from  market  with 
two  books  and  a wonderful  story.  There  had  been  at 
market  a blue-eyed  Westerner,  his  nose  was  as  large  as  a 
house,  and  his  ears  stood  out  like  fans.  Yes,  he  was  cu- 
rious looking,  and  very  ill-mannered  as  all  those  crude 
Westerners  are,  but  he  was  teaching  a new  religion  called 
“The  Jesus  Doctrine.”  Mr.  Yang  had  bought  two  books 
and  he  thought  he  would  see  what  this  Jesus  taught.  Thus 
His  Word  found  entrance  into  that  home;  but  among  ail 
its  inmates  only  the  father  and  the  little  despised  1 ‘ Middle 
One’’  were  ready  to  let  Him  into  their  hearts. 

The  son  was  uninterested,  the  mother  was  “too  old 
to  learn”;  but  the  Middle  One,  though  she  could  not 
leave  home  to  attend  any  of  the  meetings,  found  that  there 
was  a new  bond  between  her  and  her  father-in-law.  He 
taught  her  to  read  and  to  sing  the  Christian  songs  and 
bought  her  copies  of  the  Gospels  and  finally  of  the  whole 
Bible.  How  she  devoured  its  contents ! Life,  everything, 
had  a new  meaning  to  her  after  that. 

Ownerless  Thing. — When  she  was  twenty-two  a fear- 
ful scourge  of  fever  swept  through  that  province,  and 
both  Mr.  Yang  and  his  son  died.  Middle  One  now  became 
“An  Ownerless  Thing”;  her  husband,  her  real  owner,  was 
dead,  and  her  own  family  had  no  claim  on  her.  There  is 


142 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


nothing  more  pitiful  than  a young  Korean  widow.  But 
soon  Middle  One  learned  that  her  brother-in-law  had  ar- 
ranged to  send  her  as  a concubine  to  a rich  man  in  a dis- 
tant village. 

Flight. — She  refused  to  go,  put  on  her  old  torn  clothes, 
and  covering  her  head  with  ashes  declared  that  if  taken 
it  would  be  as  a beggar  and  not  as  a bride.  Her  brother- 
in-law  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  replied  that  there  were 
ways  of  making  a hard-headed  Korean  girl  mind ; he  had 
received  her  purchase  price  and  go  she  must.  She  saw 
that  there  was  nothing  to  save  her,  and  so  at  night,  clad 
in  her  oldest  clothes,  with  her  head  and  face  covered  from 
view  according  to  Korean  custom,  she  fled,  hoping  to 
gain  shelter  in  some  missionary’s  home. 

Capture. — For  three  days  she  trudged  through  the  De- 
cember snow,  footsore  and  weary;  on  the  fourth  night 
she  was  caught.  Her  brother-in-law  had  accepted  thirty 
dollars  for  her  and  he  must  deliver  the  goods.  And  so  she 
was  taken  to  her  new  owner’s  home.  It  was  a rich  home; 
at  first  they  tried  to  deceive  her  by  telling  her  that  if  she 
would  only  stay  quietly  there  and  teach  them  of  Jesus 
they  would  all  believe.  She  told  them  that  she  would 
gladly  stay  as  a servant,  but  she  could  never  be  a concu- 
bine, nor  could  she  have  anything  to  do  with  spirit  wor- 
ship. 

“My  God  Can  Deliver.’’ — She  told  them  of  how 
powerful  God  was,  and  how  He  always  cared  for  His 
own.  Thousands  of  years  ago  some  of  His  chosen  people 
were  captives  in  Egypt  and  He  delivered  them  just  as 
He  was  going  to  deliver  her. 

Bridegroom  Sick. — That  night  the  bridegroom  was 
taken  suddenly  ill,  and  they  prepared  a dummy  man  to 
take  out  to  the  mountain  to  deceive  the  spirits  that  they 
might  think  this  was  the  one  whom  they  wanted  to  afflict, 
and  so  leave  the  real  man  in  peace.  In  the  confusion, 


KOREAN  FAITH  IN  ACTION  1 43 

Middle  One  made  her  escape  to  the  home  of  a Christian  in 
a nearby  village.  But  the  next  day  when  the  bridegroom 
was  better  they  found  her  place  of  refuge  and  she  was 
again  carried  captive  to  an  alarmed  and  frightened  house- 
hold. What  kind  of  a Korean  girl  was  she?  She  feared 
neither  her  mother-in-law  nor  the  tigers  of  the  mountain. 

Middle  One  did  not  give  them  much  comfort.  She 
told  them  how  that  her  God  had  in  one  night  slain  185,000 
men  because  they  had  dared  to  oppress  His  people,  she 
pictured  with  vivid  picturesqueness  the  dying  horrors  of 
the  Chaldeans  who  thrust  the  Hebrew  children  into  the 
fiery  furnace,  she  lingered  over  the  destruction  of  Pha- 
raoh’s host  in  the  Red  Sea,  and  she  added,  “My  God’s 
arm  is  not  shortened,  He  is  able  and  He  will  deliver  me, 
just  as  He  has  delivered  His  children  in  the  past.” 


McCutchen  Memorial  Bible  School  and  Students,  Chunju, 
February,  1919 


144 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


God’s  Promise  Fulfilled. — That  evening  they  came  to 
the  women’s  quarters  with  fearful  faces;  the  bridegroom 
had  had  a relapse.  Despite  all  their  offerings  to  the 
spirits  he  was  again  very  ill.  Middle  One  calmly  remarked 
to  her  would-be  mother-in-law,  “I  am  afraid  that  he  will 
be  much  sicker  if  you  don’t  let  me  go.  I don’t  know  how 
God  intends  to  save  me  from  your  son,  but  save  me  He  will. 
Remember  what  I told  you  of  the  first  born  of  Egypt.” 

Go  in  Peace. — About  midnight  Middle  One  was  awak- 
ened by  her  new  mother-in-law,  who  commanded  her  to 
arise  and  dress  and  go  in  peace.  She  added,  “I  have  a 
servant  here  who  will  escort  you  to  the  home  of  a church 
leader  who  lives  about  fifty  miles  from  here.  I have  pre- 
pared food,  money,  and  clothing,  and  I shall  see  that  you 
are  not  followed  or  molested.  I do  not  know  your  God, 
but  I do  know  that  He  is  more  powerful  than  our  spirits, 
and  I want  you  to  go  in  peace, — then  perhaps  my  son  will 
recover.”  Thus  in  the  home  of  the  Korean  church  leader 
Middle  One  found  a home,  and  for  five  months  she  lived 
there  helping  in  the  village  and  family  life.  Then  one 
day  Mr.  Lee,  of  Pyeng  Yang,  came  through  the  village 
hunting  for  a sewing  woman  and  nurse  for  his  children 
and  Middle  One  gladly  went  with  him.  She  spent  five 
years  in  the  Lee  home,  learning  lessons  of  thrift  and  neat- 
ness, and  growing  daily  in  her  love  of  the  Bible  and  in 
knowledge  of  its  power. 

Rev.  K.  P.  Yi  was  ready  to  graduate  from  the  Semi- 
nary in  our  first  class.  Years  before  he  had  thrown  stones 
at  Dr.  Moffett  on  the  streets  of  Pyeng  Yang,  but  now  he 
was  known  as  one  of  the  most  consecrated  and  able  men 
in  our  church.  And  so  when  he  asked  Middle  One  to  join 
her  life  with  his  in  an  effort  to  bring  their  people  to  Christ, 
she  gave  a glad  assent. 

Missionaries  to  Quelpart. — When  Mr.  Yi  graduated 
in  1907,  he  and  his  wife  were  sent  as  the  first  missionaries 
of  the  Korean  Church  to  the  island  of  Quelpart.  There 


KOREAN  FAITH  IN  ACTION 


145 


for  eight  years  they  did  a wonderful  work.  Mrs.  Yi 
taught  the  Quelpart  women  the  Way  of  Life,  and  along 
with  it,  lessons  of  hygiene  and  homemaking.  In  1915 
Mr.  Yi’s  throat  gave  out,  so  they  spent  a year  in  Mokpo. 
Then  he  became  pastor  of  the  Kwangju  church.  In  all  his 
work  Mrs.  Yi  has  been  in  every  sense  a helpmeet.  When 
she  was  baptized  she  was  given  the  name  of  Hamna, 
“ Brought  into  Harmony,”  for  had  not  all  her  hopes,  de- 
sires, and  thoughts  been  brought  into  harmony  with  God’s 
great  plan  for  those  who  truly  love  and  serve  Him? 

2.  Faith  Casting  Off  Old  Customs  and  Ideas : Mr.  U. 

Six  Misfortunes. — “What  makes  Mr.  U such  a mel- 
ancholy looking  man?”  asked  the  Moksa  on  one  of  his 
first  visits  to  the  island  of  Pekum.  “Oh,”  was  the  reply, 
“Mr.  U has  had  a very  great  misfortune,  enough  to  make 
any  man  look  sad.  All  of  his  neighbors  sympathize  with 
him  greatly.”  The  missionary’s  kind  heart  was  touched 
and  he  inquired,  “What  is  his  trouble?”  Prom  their 
reply  he  learned  the  distressing  fact  that  Mr.  U had  six 
daughters  and  no  sons.  Any  Oriental  will  feel  that  his  lot 
is  indeed  hard  if  he  is  denied  the  summum  bonum  of  life, 
a son ; and  it  is  much  worse  if  he  is  burdened  with  a lot  of 
foolish,  useless  girls. 

Changed  Spectacles. — But  as  Mr.  U grew  in  Christian 
knowledge  and  faith,  his  face  brightened,  he  had  a new 
light  on  life’s  pathway.  God  had  given  him  these  little 
girls  and  they  were  precious  in  their  heavenly  Father’s 
sight,  therefore  he  also  must  love  and  cherish  them.  And 
so  he  named  them  all  using  the  Chinese  character  “So” 
which  means  “Little”  as  the  first  syllable  of  each  one’s 
name. 

Then  Mr.  U caught  another  vision,  a strange  one  for 
an  uneducated  Korean  farmer  to  catch.  He  saw  some- 
thing of  what  educated  Christian  womanhood  would  mean 


146 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


to  his  people,  and  he  determined  to  give  each  of  his  girls 
at  least  three  years  in  a Christian  school. 

A New  World. — One  day  soon  after,  I heard  much 
clearing  of  throat  and  coughing  at  the  front  door;  there 
stood  Mr.  U with  an  old  rooster  and  a string  of  eggs  as  a 
propitiatory  offering  to  the  president  of  the  school,  and 
with  him  were  two  wild  looking  little  girls.  Their  eyes 
were  so  bright  and  their  whole  air  so  untamed  that  I was 
afraid  they  would  fly  away  before  I could  get  them  tagged. 
But  no,  “Little  Daughter”  and  “Little  Strength”  (Soapi 
and  Soyup),  had  come  for  an  education.  They  brought 
a large  bag  of  barley  with  them,  for  that  was  what  they 
raised  on  their  own  island  farm.  They  proposed  to  bring 
their  own  food  from  home  and  cook  it  at  the  school.  I 
agreed  to  give  them  a brazier  to  cook  on  as  the  other  girls 
were  then  eating  rice. 

It  takes  grit  for  a school  child  of  any  race  to  live  in  a 
dormitory  and  daily  prepare  and  eat  inferior  food  while 
all  around  are  other  pupils  enjoying  better  food,  and 
the  Korean  child  is  no  exception. 

At  the  close  of  the  second  year  typhus  fever  swept 
the  island  and  Soapi  was  one  of  the  victims.  And  so 
Sojin,  “Little  Truth,”  came  to  take  her  place  at  school 
in  the  fall,  and  the  stricken  father  said  that  “Little 
Daughter”  had  gone  singing  to  her  Heavenly  Father’s 
Home.  I11  time,  So-ai  “Little  Love,”  took  up  Soyup ’s 
place,  and  Soyup  was  married  to  a well-to-do  but  illiterate 
farmer  living  on  Udol  mountain,  about  a mile  from  the 
school.  These  new  relatives  of  Little  Strength  were  pros- 
perous people,  but  they  knew  nothing  of  the  value  of  an 
education.  They  were  amazed  when  Little  Strength 
begged  permission  to  take  her  small  niece  to  school.  For 
almost  a week  she  patiently  took  that  long  walk  each  day 
with  the  little  seven-year-old  girl,  until  the  child  learned 
the  way  for  herself  and  was  not  afraid  to  come  alone. 


KOREAN  FAITH  IN  ACTION 


147 


A Happy  (Marriage. — She  taught  her  husband  to  read ; 
and  so  well  did  she  fill  her  mission  in  the  home,  that  when 
her  older  sister-in-law  died,  Mr.  Chay  sent  to  our  school, 
asking  for  an  educated  girl  for  his  wife.  He  said  that 
he  had  watched  Little  Strength  for  over  a year,  and  he  too 
wanted  a cleaner  home,  and  a wife  who  would  be  a com- 
panion to  him. 

A Victory  for  God. — Last  year  there  was  a mighty 
victory  won  for  God  out  in  Mr.  U’s  island  home.  That 
strange  epidemic,  called  the  “Flu,”  which  swept  the 
world,  sparing  neither  palace  nor  hut,  visited  the  little 
island  of  Pekum,  and  every  member  of  Mr.  U’s  family  was 
stricken  at  once.  There  was  no  one  to  build  fires,  bring 
water,  cook  food,  or  help  in  any  way.  At  last  his  heathen 
neighbors  came,  but,  before  they  would  cross  the  thresh- 
hold,  they  must  first  make  a sacrifice  to  the  evil  spirit  that 
was  thus  afflicting  the  family.  But  Mr.  U could  not  give 
his  consent  to  demon  worship  in  his  home.  “Then  we 
cannot  come  in  the  house  to  help  you,”  was  the  verdict 
of  the  village,  “for  the  foul  spirit  will  certainly  be  angered 
and  attack  us.” 

Day  after  day  they  came  with  offers  of  help  if  Mr. 
U would  permit  even  a little  offering  to  this  fierce  demon. 
He  saw  his  wife  and  his  now  dearly  loved  girls  sick  and 
helpless,  but  he  felt  that  to  yield  would  be  to  acknowledge 
that  the  devil  still  held  power  over  him  and  his.  He  knew 
that  he  had  been  bought  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ 
and  was  free  from  the  power  of  Satan.  And  so  he  claimed 
victory  through  the  Lamb,  and  obtained  it;  for,  while 
many  of  his  heathen  neighbors  died,  he  and  his  entire 
family  came  unscathed  through  the  scourge.  And  the 
neighbors  look  at  him  and  wonder  if  after  all  the  demons 
are  as  powerful  as  they  are  believed  to  be. 


148 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


3.  Faith  Sowing  Seed:  Mrs.  Yi. 

In  a country  village  in  Korea  lived  a family  by  the 
name  of  Won.  There  was  a little  girl  whom  they  called 
Arun  Yuni  and  she  spent  a part  of  each  day  with  her  lit- 
tle friends  putting  together  bright  little  scraps  of  cloth 
to  make  the  pieced  jackets  that  Korean  children  love  so 
well.  The  sleeves  of  the  jackets  are  often  made  of  twenty 
different  colors,  sewed  together  to  simulate  stripes,  and 
we  wonder  if  Joseph’s  coat  of  many  colors  was  half  so 
pretty. 

Marriage. — One  day  her  mother  called  Arun  Yuni 
and  informed  her  that  she  had  been  betrothed  to  the  eld- 
est son  of  the  noted  Yi  family.  This  alliance,  she  added, 
was  eminently  fitting  inasmuch  as  the  relatives  in  con- 
ference had  discovered  that  there  existed  an  affinity  be- 
tween the  eight  ideographs  that  composed  Arun  Yuni’s 
name  and  those  that  occurred  in  the  young  man’s  name. 
An  exorcist  would  forthwith  be  called  to  select  a propitious 
day  for  the  wedding. 

The  Wedding  Chest. — Arun  Yuni  did  not  want  to  be 
married,  but  she  was  interested,  childlike,  in  all  the  new 
clothes  and  pretty  bright  cloth  that  the  bridegroom  sent 
for  her  trousseau.  The  shiny  new  chest  held  silk  for  waists, 
linen  for  skirts,  fine  domestic  for  underwear,  lovely  silver 
ornaments  for  her  hair,  shoes,  a comb,  a small  mirror,  and 
even  charcoal  to  be  used  as  an  offering  to  the  spirits  when 
Arun  Yuni’s  first  son  was  born. 

Eight  Characters  Are  Unfortunate. — The  marriage 
was  as  happy  as  most  Eastern  marriages  are,  for  the 
Oriental  woman  is  always  taught  self-abnegation.  She 
expects  little  of  her  liege  lord.  Arun  Yuni  did  her  full 
duty  in  presenting  the  Yi  family  with  a beautiful  baby 
boy,  and  for  a while  it  seemed  that  her  eight  characters 
were  certainly  meant  for  happiness.  But,  alas,  the  young 
husband  and  the  much  loved  baby  boy  were  taken  from 


KOREAN  FAITH  IN  ACTION 


149 


her,  and  as  a most  unwelcome  baby  girl  was  born  soon 
after  the  boy’s  death,  everyone  knew  that  Arun  Yuni 
must  have  displeased  the  spirits  greatly.  This  useless, 
undesired  baby  girl  became  a sight  almost  unbearable  to 
the  poor  widowed  mother,  for  she  constantly  reminded 
her  of  the  anger  of  the  gods  and  of  her  present  forlorn 
condition.  How  the  poor,  ignorant  child-mother  hated 
that  baby  and  how  she  wished  it  would  die ! 

Flight. — A woman,  whose  business  it  is  to  locate  un- 
attached women,  began  to  frequent  Arun  Yuni’s  home  and 
to  pity  her  because  of  her  sad  condition,  for  none  of  her 
family  cared  for  her  now  since  they  saw  her  cast  off  by 
the  spirits.  This  woman  told  her  that  she  knew  of  a very 
fine  wealthy  desirable  man  who  would  gladly  welcome 
her  to  his  home  and  make  her  mistress  of  it.  Arun  Yuni 
finally  consented  to  go,  but  what  should  she  do  with  the 
unwanted  baby  girl?  The  go-between  met  her  out  in  the 
back  of  the  village,  where  she  had  planned  to  drown  the 
baby  and  leave  a suit  of  her  own  clothes,  as  proof  that 
she  herself  was  drowned ; for  that  would  be  less  of  a dis- 
grace than  for  them  to  know  that  she  had  “mended  her 
eight  characters,”  or  married  in  the  only  way  that  a 
widow  could.  But  when  the  time  came  she  could  not  kill 
the  little  girl,  and  so  she  decided  to  take  her  with  her. 

A Prisoner. — When  the  coolies  put  her  chair  down 
in  the  yard  of  her  new  home  she  stepped  out  from  the 
curtains  to  find  that  the  go-between,  the  chair  coolies, 
all,  had  disappeared;  and  although  she  already  bitterly 
regretted  the  step  that  she  had  taken,  she  was  virtually  a 
prisoner  in  the  household  of  the  new  lord  of  her  life. 
Looking  upon  him  she  knew  that  he  was  a drunkard  and 
a man  to  be  feared,  but  according  to  Korean  custom  she 
was  tied  securely  to  him ; there  was  no  place  to  which  she 
could  flee.  Henceforth  abuse  and  beatings  and  drudgery 
were  to  be  her  portion. 


150  DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 

Let  us  pass  over  the  years  of  starvation  and  suffering 
through  which  she  lived  as  the  practical  slave  of  that  ill- 
tempered,  drinking,  Korean  man.  At  last  she  decided 
that  she  could  stand  it  no  longer;  she  would  take  her 
child  and  escape  to  Seoul  and  become  a Buddhist  nun.  It 
was  a long,  hard  trip,  but  they  made  it. 

Meeting  With  Miss  Tate. — Mrs.  Yi  had  a very  bad 
sore  of  some  three  years  standing,  and  it  would  not  heal 
though  she  had  continued  to  use  on  it  the  strongest  native 
medicine,  manure  and  dried  salt  fish.  After  she  had  been 
in  Seoul  for  some  time  she  heard  of  an  American  doctor 
who  did  most  wonderful  things.  She  went  to  see  him, 
and  at  the  hospital  she  heard  of  another  most  wonderful 
thing,  a school  for  girls!  Well,  this  was  the  place  to  get 
rid  of  her  undesirable  daughter.  She  succeeded  in  placing 
her  girl  in  the  school.  There  she  met  Miss  Mattie  Tate, 
who  had  only  recently  come  to  Korea  and  who  was  then 
in  Seoul  studying  the  language  in  preparation  for  her 
wonderful  work  among  the  country  women  of  Korea.  No 
one  would  have  thought  of  this  poor,  ignorant,  sad,  Korean 
woman  as  a Helper  but  she  went  to  Miss  Tate  as  a servant 
and  later  she  developed  into  a wonderful  Bible  student,  a 
seed-sower  who  was  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season. 

Chief  of  Sinners. — At  first  it  was  difficult  for  her  to 
study  and  she  did  not  seem  to  care  for  the  hours  of  Bible 
work;  but  one  day  she  came  home  from  the  Bible  class 
with  her  face  beaming,  and  said,  “I  am  so  glad  to  know 
what  my  sins  are  and  that  Jesus  has  died  for  all  of 
them,  ’ ’ then  breaking  down  and  crying  the  cry  of  an 
awakened  sinner,  “Yes,  He  died  for  others,  but  surely 
not  for  me,  for  I have  committed  all  the  sins  known.”  But 
after  reading  God’s  word  on  the  subject  and  hearing  a 
talk  on  Christ’s  healing  the  blind,  she  became  very  happy 
that  He  had  opened  her  eyes  spiritually  and  made  her  to 
know  that,  though  she  were  the  chief  of  sinners,  Jesus’ 
blood  was  sufficient  to  make  even  her  scarlet  life  white  as 


snow. 


KOREAN  FAITH  IN  ACTION  1 51 

Her  Message. — Her  great  desire  was  to  tell  others  of 
the  cleansing  blood  of  Calvary,  and  first  she  must  take  the 
message  to  her  own  home  people.  And  this  she  wanted  to 
do  even  though  she  knew  that  they  would  rather  believe 
her  dead  than  to  know  that  she  had  disgraced  her  name 
by  the  life  which  she  had  led  since  she  left  them.  She 
realized  that  she  might  be  denied  recognition,  beaten,  even 
killed  by  her  father’s  family,  but  she  bravely  took  the  long, 
hard  journey,  and  later  had  the  joy  of  bringing  several 
of  her  own  family  to  Christ. 

When  Miss  Tate  prepared  to  make  her  first  trip  co 
Chunju,  Mrs.  Yi  went  with  her  as  companion,  friend, 
helper;  and  later  when  Miss  Tate  moved  permanently  to 
Chunju,  Mrs.  Yi  declined  an  offer  of  a much  larger  salary 
in  Seoul,  saying  that  she  was  glad  God  gave  her  a chance 
to  sacrifice  a little  for  Him  and  to  go  a long  way  from 
home  to  tell  the  women  of  Chulla  Province  of  God’s  love 
and  His  Son  who  had  come  to  save. 

Two  Partners. — For  many  years  the  “Woman  from 
America”  and  the  “Woman  from  Seoul”  worked  together 
in  this  southern  country,  and  their  souls  were  knit  in  a 
wonderful  love  and  purpose  to  bring  the  message  to  the 
Korean  women.  Even  as  the  Bible  speaks  of  the  “Sa- 
maritan Woman”  who  so  “published  the  tidings”  that 
crowds  came  to  hear  Him,  so  the  Koreans  called  Mrs.  Yi 
the  “Seoul  Woman,”  and  she  too  published  the  glad  news 
far  and  near  for  many  years. 

She  was  a great  help  to  Miss  Tate  by  her  love  and 
constant  unselfish  thought  for  her  comfort  during  those 
early  years  of  seed  sowing.  Once  she  walked  thirty  miles 
to  send  chair  coolies  for  Miss  Tate  when  she  was  in  the 
country,  and  having  taken  no  money  for  her  own  dinner, 
she  drank  water  “often  and  often.” 

Once  in  speaking  of  the  wounds  and  abuses  which 
she  had  received  at  the  hands  of  her  second  husband,  she 


152 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


said,  “Oh,  never  call  them  hardships  any  more,  but  just 
God  driving  me  to  where  I could  learn  of  Him  and  His 
Son.  I had  thought  that  I would  never  see  my  beautiful 
boy  again,  but  now  I know  that  God  took  him  that  I might 
not  teach  my  baby  to  worship  evil  spirits  and  idols.  Oh, 
He  is  keeping  my  boy  safe  for  me,  and  I know  that  it  was 
God  who  kept  me  from  drowning  my  baby  girl  that  time, 
although  I did  not  know  Him  then.  He  has  led  me  all 
the  way.” 

The  despised  little  daughter  was  one  of  the  first  Ko- 
rean teachers  in  the  Chunju  Girls’  School. 

The  heathen  Koreans  are  terribly  afraid  of  death,  but 
even  yet  the  women  of  her  village  speak  of  Mrs.  Yi’s 
triumphant  Home-going.  Thank  God  for  such  seed  sowers ! 

4.  Faith  Under  Temptation:  Rev.  C.  I.  Yi. 

When  Yi  Cha  Ik  first  heard  the  gospel  story  he  was  a 
merchant.  He  learned  that  a Christian  must  be  a man 
of  clean  hands  and  pure  heart,  and  must  pay  his  debts. 
Now  up  to  this  time  Yi  Cha  Ik’s  debts  had  not  worried 
him  much ; he  expected  to  pay  them  when  it  was  conven- 
ient. But  as  a Christian  he  had  to  settle  with  his  creditors, 
and  that  left  him  without  funds  with  which  to  carry  on 
his  merchandizing.  He  and  his  young  wife  were  reduced 
to  such  straits  that  they  had  only  two  scant  meals  a day. 

The  Test. — His  father-in-law  was  well-to-do  and  he 
sent  for  Yi,  saying,  “If  you  will  give  up  doing  the  Jesus 
doctrine  I will  give  you  money  to  go  into  business.  ’ ’ But 
the  answer  was,  “I  cannot  sell  my  Master.”  From  the 
first  Mr.  Yi  was  eager  to  tell  others  both  publicly  and  pri- 
vately about  Jesus.  He  often  led  the  church  meetings  in 
his  own  village,  walked  twelve  miles  to  conduct  services 
in  another  town,  and  then  came  back  in  time  to  lead  ser- 
vices in  his  own  church  at  night. 


KOREAN  FAITH  IN  ACTION  1 53 

' 

The  Second  Temptation. — Again  his  father-in-law  sent 
for  him.  “You  say  that  doing  that  doctrine  is  believing  in 
Jesus  and  leading  a straight  life.  Well,  I am  willing  for 
you  to  do  all  that  quietly  at  home.  If  you  will  only  give 
up  preaching  I will  give  you  money  enough  to  open  up  a 
good  store.”  But  Yi  Cha  Ik  had  felt  within  his  soul, 


Going  to  Market 


“Woe  is  me  if  I preach  not  the  gospel.”  And  so  he  re- 
plied that  he  could  not  promise  that  he  would  not  tell 
others  of  Jesus.  His  father-in-law  was  very  indignant  and 
with  a stick  drove  him  away  from  home,  and  said : 
“Though  you  and  your  family  starve  you  must  never  come 
to  me  again  for  help.  Henceforth  you  are  aliens  to  me.” 

When  Mr.  Yi  reached  home  he  found  his  wife  on  the 
floor  in  a faint  from  lack  of  food.  A kind  neighbor,  know- 
ing their  condition,  sent  in  a table  of  dinner.  After  she 
had  revived  somewhat,  Mr.  Yi  told  his  wife  of  her  father’s 
offer  and  asked  what  she  thought  they  ought  to  do  about 
it.  She  replied  that  it  was  for  him  to  decide. 

Decision  Made. — He  then  answered,  “It  is  true  per- 
haps that  I could  believe  and  do  right  quietly  here  at 
home ; but  I feel  that  God  is  calling  me  to  preach,  and  I 
am  afraid  that  this  is  just  the  Devil  trying  to  silence  me. 
If  I make  a compromise  with  the  enemy  then  I myself 
may  become  a useless  servant.”  The  wife  at  once  replied, 


154 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


“You  are  right.  Go  on  preaching.  If  we  live,  we  live, 
and  if  we  die,  we  die.” 

Consequences. — Years  afterwards  Mr.  Tate  asked  Mr, 
Yi  what  he  now  thought  of  that  early  decision,  and  he 
answered,  “I  still  think  that  if  I had  not  done  what  the 
Lord  gave  me  to  do,  I would  have  been  a castaway.  I am 
sure  of  one  thing.  If  I had  decided  differently  I would 
never  have  had  the  joy  of  leading  my  father-in-law  to 
Christ.  Last  year  when  he  was  dying  he  called  all  of  us 
to  his  side  and  told  us  of  his  joy  in  Christ,  and  exhorted 
us  all  to  meet  him  in  Heaven.” 

Mr.  Yi  is  now  an  ordained  minister  in  charge  of  a 
group  of  churches  in  Mr.  Tate’s  field.  He  is  gifted  as  a 
personal  worker  and  his  colleagues  bear  testimony  to  his 
unselfishness  in  anything,  that  has  to  do  with  himself 
or  his  family. 

“Trust  in  the  Lord  and  do  good;  so  shalt  thou  dwell 
in  the  land,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be  fed.” 

5.  Faith  Dealing  With  Little  Things  of  Daily  Life: 
Chassubby  Umini. 

Some  one  has  rightly  said,  “No  one  is  a hero  to  his 
valet,”  and  many  a hero  has  lost  some  of  his  glamor  when 
seen  too  close,  but  I have  always  said  if  I ever  wrote  a 
book,  it  would  be  the  life  of  my  cook ; for  in  that  humble, 
ignorant,  Korean  woman,  for  twelve  years  I have  daily 
seen  the  miracle  of  a new  life,  a beautiful,  unselfish  life 
growing  out  of  the  mires  of  the  old  superstitions  and 
teachings  of  ages  of  heathenism. 

First  Meeting. — Chassubby  Umini  has  no  other  name 
that  I ever  heard,  but  that  given  her  as  a recognition  that 
her  oldest  son  was  named  Chassubby,  and  so  she  was 
called  Chassubby ’s  mother.  We  met  five  weeks  after  I 
landed  in  Chosen,  and  our  household  goods  having  ar- 
rived, we  decided  to  begin  housekeeping,  and  kind  neigh- 


KOREAN  FAITH  IN  ACTION 


155 


bors  called  Chassubby’s  mother  to  cook  for  ns.  She  had 
never  seen  a stove,  a biscuit,  a chair,  any  of  the  things 
we  use.  I knew  no  Korean  and  she  no  English.  Thus  we 
began  partnership.  I had  learned  to  say  keu-ruk-ky  ha-si- 
0,  “do  it  that  way.”  So  I would  make  up  a bed  or  pre- 
pare a cup  of  coffee  and  tell  her  to  do  it  as  I did. 

Housekeeping. — But  oh ! I thought  she  was  so  stupid 
and  hard  to  teach.  I knew  I had  come  to  Korea  because 
the  people  needed  help,  but  I used  to  look  at  my  cook 
and  think  surely  the  Lord  might  have  sent  me  somebody 
brighter  and  cleaner  than  she  was  to  start  with. 

Outwitting  the  Mountain  Spirits. — Just  a short  time 
before  she  came  to  me,  they  had  a terrible  drought  in 
Chunju,  and  Chassubby’s  mother  and  some  other  village 
women  got  the  entrails  of  a hog  and  dragged  them  all 
over  the  sacred  mountain  to  make  it  so  filthy  that  the 
spiiits  that  lived  there  would  send  rain  to  cleanse  their 
sacred  home,  and  of  course  the  village  gardens  beneath  the 
mountain  would  get  the  benefit  of  the  showers.  I knew 
she  was  noisy  and  high-tempered  and  slovenly,  but  you 
can  imagine  my  feelings  when  one  day  she  came  up  drunk. 
I would  have  sent  her  away  but  I just  felt  that  I would 
not  give  up  the  first  person  God  had  put  under  my  in- 
fluence in  Korea. 

I talked  to  her,  I prayed  with  her,  I cried  over  her. 
I remember  the  last  time  she  was  drunk  was  on  our  wed- 
ding anniversary,  and  I had  made  a little  feast  and  in- 
vited all  the  missionaries,  and  she  had  taken  so  much 
wine  she  could  hardly  wait  on  the  table.  She  knew  how 
the  Moksa  and  I had  planned  and  decorated  for  that  little 
entertainment,  for  I had  told  her  of  that  wedding  day 
back  in  my  Tennessee  home.  When  she  saw  our  grief 
was  not  for  our  ruined  dinner  but  for  her,  because  she 
had  fallen  short  of  her  own  knowledge  of  true  woman- 
hood, I think  that  night  the  old,  hard,  sinful  heart  re- 
ceived its  first  vision  of  the  light, 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


156 


Born  Again. — From  that  night  there  was  a change.  1 
never  saw  her  drunk  again.  The  growth  was  slow,  but 
day  by  day  Satan  had  less  and  less  power  over  her.  Little 
by  little  her  surrender  to  Christ  was  more  complete. 
Gradually  I saw  the  miracle  of  a new  woman,  sweet-spir- 
ited, unselfish,  born  from  that  erstwhile  Korean  virago. 

Of  course,  at  first  many  even  of  her  religious  ideas 
were  wrong.  She  had  an  idea  that  once  baptized  she 
would  lose  all  desire  to  sin.  I tried  to  teach  her  differently 
but  all  in  vain.  The  day  after  she  was  baptized,  she  came 
to  me  discouraged  and  disheartened,  to  confess  that  she 
and  her  husband  had  had  a fuss,  and  she  had  lost  her 
temper,  even  though  she  had  just  been  baptized.  Then 
she  to#* learned  that  “the  devil  was  too  strong  for  young 
Melancthon.” 

Loyalty. — Her  loyalty  and  love  for  her  “Moksa  and 
Poo-een”  caused  her  to  do  some  funny  things.  If  we  were 
not  always  invited  to  tea  at  a neighbor’s  home  when  others 
were  invited,  it  was  all  I could  do  to  keep  her  from  going 
up  and  demanding  an  invitation  for  us.  Dr.  Nisbet  had 
no  white  linen  suits  like  the  other  missionaries  were  wear- 
ing, and  she  insisted  on  stiffly  starching  his  underwear 
so  he  “could  wear  it  on  the  outside.” 

The  Narrow  Way. — At  prayers  one  morning  we  spoke 
of  how  easy  the  plan  of  salvation  had  been  made.  God 
had  not  asked  a hard  thing  of  us;  all  we  had  to  do  was 
just  to  believe.  Chassubby’s  mother  has  a great  respect 
for  the  Moksa,  but  that  was  more  than  she  could  stand. 
She  interrupted,.  “Moksa,  do  you  think  it  is  easy  to  be- 
lieve ? It  is  easy  to  say  you  believe  with  your  lips,  but  to 
believe  down  in  the  middle  of  your  insides,  and  to  show 
your  belief  with  your  hands  and  feet  and  tongue,  that 
is  the  very  hardest  thing  in  the  world.  And  I think  Jesus 
means  for  you  to  believe  with  all  there  is  in  you.”  After 
living  with  her  for  twelve  years,  I know  that  she  believes 
“down  in  the  middle  of  her  insides,”  for  I have  seen  her 
tested. 


KOREAN  FAITH  IN  ACTION 


157 


Faith  and  Works. — Mr.  Parker  had  been  very  ill  with 
typhus  fever ; all  over  our  mission  we  had  united  in  asking 
God  to  spare  him  to  the  work,  and  our  prayers  had  been 
granted.  When  he  was  convalescent,  Mr.  McEachern  was 
taking  him  to  Kunsan  to  recuperate.  They  reached  our 
home  in  Mokpo  about  nine  at  night,  and  as  their  telegram 
had  failed  to  reach  us,  the  kitchen  fire  was  out  and  there 
was  nothing  for  the  hungry  men  to  eat.  But  eat  they 
must  for  they  had  had  a scant  lunch.  Chassubby’s  mother 
had  done  a hard  day’s  washing  and  I knew  she  ached; 
but  when  I called  her,  she  answered  gladly,  “Cook  sup- 
per for  Mr.  Parker  ? Of  course,  I would  like  to  do  it.  Did 
I not  pray  him  well  when  he  was  sick,  and  what  kind  of  a 
Christian  would  I be,  if,  after  praying  him  well,  I was  not 
glad  any  hour  of  the  night  to  get  up  and  cook  supper  for 
him?”  That  is  her  idea  of  faith  and  works,  and  they 
make  a good  combination. 

A Dragon. — She  lost  several  little  girls  before  she  was 
a Christian,  so  in  order  to  deceive  the  spirits  when  her 
third  girl  came,  she  called  her  “Yongie”  (a  dragon),  so 
the  spirits  would  not  know  there  was  a girl  in  the  home 
but  think  it  was  a dragon. 

Grace. — Several  years  after  she  became  a Christian 
a beautiful  little  girl  was  born  and  named  “Unhay” 
(Grace) ; for  was  it  not  of  God’s  grace  that  this  baby 
girl  had  come  for  the  mother  to  show  what  a child  would 
be  like,  who  never  saw  spirit  worship,  and  who  with  her 
mother’s  milk  drank  in  the  spirit  of  love  and  service? 
Unhay  was  a beautiful  child  and  each  day  the  proud 
mother  told  me  some  new  plan  for  Unhay’s  education. 

The  Laughing  Baby. — There  hangs  by  our  bureau,  the 
picture  of  a little  three-year-old  nephew.  He  is  holding 
out  his  arms  to  catch  a ball,  and  his  face  is  all  alight  with 
smiles.  He  laughed  his  way  into  our  hearts,  and  then  he 
laughed  his  way  into  Heaven,  but  because  of  his  short 
bright  life,  all  babies  are  just  a little  dearer  to  me.  My 


158  DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 

cook  has  always  called  him  “The  Laughing  Baby,”  and 
loved  to  hear  me  tell  how  he  sang,  “The  old  time  religion, 
’Tis  good  enough  for  me,”  in  his  sweet  baby  voice. 

Suddenly  Unhay  was  stricken  and  in  a week  the 
idol  of  that  humble  Korean  home  was  laid  to  rest  in  the 
little  Korean  church  cemetery. 

The  Test. — How  my  heart  ached  for  the  poor  mother, 
and  I could  but  wonder  how  her  faith  would  stand  this 
test.  The  next  day  she  was  back  in  the  kitchen,  saddened 
but  cheerful  and  efficient,  and  as  she  went  about  her 
work  of  making  the  Moksa  and  Poo-een  comfortable,  she 
asked,  “Poo-een,  who  do  you  think  was  the  first  one  to 
meet  Unhay  in  Heaven?”  I replied  that  I did  not  know, 
and  she  answered,  “Well,  I think  it  was  your  Laughing 
Baby.  At  first  I was  afraid  Unhay  would  he  lonesome  up 
in  heaven,  and  then  I thought,  no,  the  Laughing  Baby 
will  meet  her  and  take  her  by  the  hand  and  lead  her  right 
to  Jesus’  feet,  and  say,  ‘Jesus,  here  is  a little  girl  from 
Korea,  and  she  has  no  friends  here  for  the  Koreans  have 
not  heard  about  Jesus  long,  so  we  are  going  to  play  here 
at  your  feet  till  her  mother  comes.’  ” 

And  in  humble  faith  and  love  the  mother  is  waiting 
until  Jesus  calls  her  to  see  her  child  again,  happy  in  the 
thought  that  Unhay  and  the  Laughing  Baby  are  together 
playing  at  His  feet. 

6.  Faith  Through  Prayer:  Mr.  Su. 

Half  Way  House. — Nestling  at  the  foot  of  Chunnun 
pass,  is  the  little  village  of  Chunnun,  with  perhaps  a hun- 
dred little  straw-thatched  mud  houses.  One  house  is  a 
little  larger  than  the  others,  and  if  the  traveller  asks 
why,  perchance  some  village  man  will  reply  with  pride, 
“That  is  our  church,”  and  add  with  still  greater  pride 
pointing  to  a small  two-roomed  house,  “And  yonder  is 
our  schoolhouse,”  for  the  two-score  Christians  in  that 
little  village  of  Chunnun  had  caught  a vision  of  what  a 
Christian  education  meant  to  their  young  people  and  had 


KOREAN  FAITH  IN  ACTION 


159 


built  them  a neat  schoolhouse.  This  building  was  a great 
convenience  to  the  missionaries,  for  Chunnun  was  just 
half  way  between  Kwangju  and  Chunju,  and  so  the  little 
building  became  the  Rest  Home.  Before  the  days  of  rail- 
roads, when  the  seventy  mile  trip  had  to  be  made  on  horse- 
back or  in  a sedan  chair,  we  would  send  food  and  bedding 
ahead  and  prepare  to  sleep  at  Chunnun  and  make  the  dis- 
tance in  two  days. 

An  Unfinished  Ride.— On  February  13,  1911,  Miss 
Laura  May  Pitts  and  I left  Chunju  at  six  in  the  morning 
for  the  long  horseback  ride  to  Kwangju.  I was  going  to 
help  them  in  their  mid- winter  Bible  class;  Miss  Pitts 
wanted  to  pay  a little  visit  to  friends  there.  She  had 
been  in  Korea  only  six  months,  but  in  the  hospital  (she 
was  a trained  nurse),  and  in  the  Korean  homes,  she  had 
already  won  her  title  of  “One  who  loves  to  help.” 

About  nine  o’clock  it  began  to  rain,  and  for  about 
six  hours  we  rode  on  through  a heavy  downpour.  We 
could  not  stop,  for  our  bedding,  food,  etc.,  were  ahead  of 
us  at  the  little  village  of  Chunnun.  We  got  off  the  road 
at  one  place  and  lost  about  two  hours  finding  the  right 


Our  Korea  Mission,  1919 


l60  DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 

path  again.  About  four  o’clock  the  rain  turned  into  a 
driving  snow,  but  neither  of  us  was  easily  discouraged; 
so  with  jest  and  laughter  we  rode  on. 

Welcome. — Bad  as  the  weather  was,  a crowd  had 
gathered  at  Chunnun  to  welcome  us.  A few  came  out 
some  distance  to  meet  us.  They  had  good  fires  and  a warm 
room,  and  soon  we  were  comfortable.  I know  of  few 
things  sweeter  than  the  welcome  these  lonely  Christians 
give  to  their  Moksa  and  Poo-een,  especially  if  there  hap- 
pens to  be  one  in  the  crowd  whom  you  have  been  privileged 
to  lead  to  Christ.  I do  not  believe  there  is  any  joy  on 
earth  like  that  of  looking  into  the  face  of  a man  or  a 
woman  who  first  learned  the  name  of  Jesus  from  you. 
Talk  of  missionary  sacrifice!  The  missionary’s  joy  at 
such  a time  so  outweighs  all  else  that  he  would  not  change 
places  with  any  man  on  earth. 

Elder  Su. — After  we  had  somewhat  dried  our  clothes 
and  had  supper,  we  had  a short  service  with  the  women. 
The  leader  of  the  Chunnun  group  was  Elder  Su.  In  youth 
he  had  been  a drunkard  and  a gambler,  and  he  had  sown 
his  wild  oats;  but  with  the  entrance  of  the  Gospel,  all 
that  had  been  changed.  He  had  the  same  personal  mag- 
netism and  genial  manners  that  had  made  him  “such  a 
hearty  good  fellow,”  but  coupled  with  it  was  a deep 
realization  of  the  personal  leadership  of  his  Master. 

A heathen  woman  once  heard  Mr.  Tate  preach  on, 
“Ye  must  be  born  again,”  and  she  remarked  to  a friend: 
“I  don’t  know  anything  about  that  Book,  but  I know 
the  man  he  was  talking  about,  who  was  born  again ; his 
name  is  Su  and  he  lives  in  our  village.  He  is  a new  man 
since  he  became  a Jesus  believer.” 

Miss  Pitt’s  Home-Going. — Dr.  Nisbet  had  sent  a trust- 
ed Korean  man  with  us  on  this  trip,  so  Mr.  Su  promised  to 
find  a lodging  place  for  him,  and  about  ten  o’clock  all  the 
Koreans  went  home.  After  they  had  gone  we  realized  our 


KOREAN  FAITH  IN  ACTION  l6l 

matches  were  wet,  but  we  would  not  call  them  back  to  get 
fresh  ones.  Some  time  in  the  night,  I left  my  narrow 
army  cot  to  get  a drink  of  water,  and  in  the  tiny  con- 
fines of  the  Korean  room,  I touched  my  friend’s  hand  ly- 
ing outside  her  cot.  It  was  cold  with  that  peculiar  cold- 
ness that  strikes  terror  to  the  heart.  I called  her,  I knelt 
beside  her  and  felt  her  face,  her  throat;  I could  not  be- 
lieve it,  but  I knew  I must  have  light  and  aid. 

It  was  still  snowing,  but  out  into  the  night,  bare- 
footed, I plunged.  The  first  house  where  I called  for  aid, 
the  man  told  me  he  had  no  dealings  with  the  Christians ; 
the  second  home  the  man  was  deaf ; and  at  the  third  they 
could  not  understand  my  Korean  language ; but  the  fourth 
was  a Christian  home,  and  they  called  Elder  Su  and  other 
Christian  friends,  who  brought  lamps,  and  hot  water  and 
Korean  restoratives.  We  worked  for  a half  hour,  but  ail 
in  vain.  Long  before  I awoke,  in  the  quiet  little  Korean 
room,  God  had  called  Laura  May  Pitts  to  enter  into  the 
glory  He  had  prepared  for  those  who  love  and  serve 
Him. 

Jas.  1 :5. — I then  prepared  to  send  a telegram  to  Chun- 
ju  for  my  husband  and  Dr.  Daniel  to  come  to  me.  There 
was  no  telegraph  office  nearer  than  Kobu,  the  county  seat, 
seven  miles  away,  and  the  telegram  had  to  be  written  in 
Korean  and  sent  there.  I breathed  a prayer  for  help  and 
wrote:  “The  trained  nurse  died  last  night.  Mr.  Nisbet 
and  Dr.  Daniel  come  at  once.  ’ ’ After  the  man  had  mount- 
ed a horse  and  started  to  Kobu,  a voice  seemed  to  whisper 
to  me,  “You  have  left  out  a necessary  word  in  that  tele- 
gram, you  ought  to  have  inserted  Chunnun,  for  if  they 
receive  it  from  Kobu,  they  will  go  to  Kobu.  I called  the 
man  back  and  rewrote  the  telegram,  “The  trained  nurse 
died  at  Chunnun  last  night.  Mr.  Nisbet  and  Dr.  Daniel 
come  to  Chunnun  at  once.”  Later  I asked  my  husband 
what  he  would  have  done  if  the  word  Chunnun  had  been 
left  out,  and  he  answered,  “We  would  have  gone  to 


1 62  DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 

Kobu,  the  place  from  which  the  message  was  sent,  for  we 
would  have  thought  you  girls  had  lost  your  way  and  were 
there.  And  so  I know  His  Spirit  leads  in  our  hour  of 
need. 

Availing  Prayer. — After  the  man  had  gone  with  the 
telegram,  Elder  Su  said,  “We  have  done  everything  that 
human  wisdom  can  do,  let  us  ask  the  Father  of  all  wisdom 
and  help  to  show  us  the  way.”  And  I have  never  heard 
such  a prayer  as  followed.  It  seemed  as  though  the  very 
gates  of  heaven  were  opened,  and  we  stood  in  the  presence 
of  the  ever-loving,  ever-helpful  Father.  He  prayed  for 
the  loved  ones  in  the  homeland,  that  they  might  realize 
that  Heaven  was  as  near  Miss  Pitts  in  Korea  as  in  Ameri- 
ca, and  that  they  might  be  comforted;  for  me,  that  the 
barriers  of  race  and  language  and  customs  might  be 
swept  away,  and  I might  understand  them  and  they  me, 
and  that  we  might  indeed  be  as  one  family;  for  them, 
that  they  might  know  how  to  help  and  comfort  me,  and 
lastly  that  in  her  Home-going  God  might  be  glorified  and 
souls  saved.  He  ended  with  a glorious  thanksgiving  for 
God’s  help  to  His  servants  in  ages  past,  with  full  assur- 
ance claiming  present  help. 

Coroner’s  Inquest. — Through  the  long  eighteen  hours 
before  my  husband  and  the  doctor  reached  me,  there  was 
nothing  that  love  and  thought  could  do  for  me  that  was 
not  done  by  those  Korean  Christians.  About  nine  o’clock, 
the  Japanese  officials  came  from  the  county  seat  for  the 
coroner’s  inquest.  For  four  hours  there  was  a long  grill- 
ing examination.  Of  course  they  read  the  events  accord- 
ing to  their  light, — we  were  wives  of  the  same  man,  I was 
the  older  and  uglier  wife,  therefore  jealous,  and  so  had 
murdered  the  younger  woman.  They  examined  our  food, 
our  luggage,  my  pen  knife.  They  asked  all  kinds  of  ques- 
tions, but  no  more  than  our  police  would  ask  a Japanese 
woman  if  her  companion  was  suddenly  found  dead  in  a 
lonely  place. 


KOREAN  FAITH  IN  ACTION  1 63 

At  last  they  told  me  they  were  going  to  perform  an 
autopsy.  I had  submitted  so  far  to  all  questioning,  and 
searching,  but  there  is  a limit,  and  it  had  been  reached.  I 
told  them  they  could  not  do  that.  I had  sent  for  an  Ameri- 
can physician  and  until  he  came  they  could  not  touch  that 
dear  body.  When  they  looked  a little  uncertain,  I placed 
myself  in  front  of  the  door  and  told  them  I was  an  Ameri- 
can woman  and  I claimed  the  protection  of  the  American 
flag.  If  they  entered  that  room  they  would  do  it  over  my 
body,  and  if  they  knew  anything  of  Americans,  they  knew 
they  protected  their  women.  They  withdrew  for  consulta- 
tion and  that  was  the  last  I ever  heard  of  an  autopsy. 

The  Koreans  are  afraid  of  a Japanese  official,  but 
through  it  all,  Mr.  Su  was  right  by  my  side,  interpreting, 
helping,  suggesting.  That  day  I saw  the  promise  in  Jas. 
1 :5  literally  fulfilled.  My  Korean  is  far  from  perfect 
now.  I am  provoked  when  I tell  the  boy  to  bring  me  a 
hoe  (Quangie)  and  he  chases  the  cat  (Kwangie).  But  that 
day  I could  speak  Korean  as  well  as  I could  English. 
I never  lacked  a word,  I could  understand  and  be  under- 
stood. 

To  this  day,  whenever  I hear  “Blest  be  the  tie  that 
binds/ ’ all  else  fades,  and  again  I am  in  that  little  narrow 
Korean  room  kneeling  beside  my  dead  friend  while  that 
humble  Korean  farmer  leads  me  straight  into  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Father. 

Prayer  Answered. — I would  like  to  tell  how  I have 
lived  to  see  every  request  of  that  wonderful  prayer  grant- 
ed, but  I have  time  for  only  one. 

There  was  a wealthy  woman  in  Chunju  that  we  had 
tried  to  bring  to  Christ,  but  the  old,  old  story  was  un- 
heeded. Several  years  after  I moved  to  Mokpo,  I went 
back  to  Chunju  on  a visit  and  found  her  an  earnest  Chris- 
tian. I asked  her  what  finally  moved  her,  and  she  replied, 
“Do  you  remember  the  trained  nurse,  who  died  at  Chun- 
nun?  Once  I was  sick  at  the  hospital  and  she  was  so 


164  DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 

beautiful  and  clean  and  so  kind.  I could  not  but  wonder 
why  she  left  her  home  to  come  to  minister  to  a people 
she  did  not  know.  I asked  one  of  the  Koreans  and  she 
told  the  trained  nurse.  With  a smile  she  said  to  me, 
‘Jesus’  Love.’  She  could  not  talk  much  Korean,  but  I 
knew  she  meant  that  Jesus’  love  called  her  here  to  help 
us  who  did  not  know  how  to  help  ourselves.  And  after  her 
death  I just  could  not  get  away  from  her  Jesus.  Night 
and  day  He  called  me  through  her  message  of  a surrend- 
ered life,  and  so  at  last  I just  had  to  come  to  Him.” 


CHAPTER  VI. 


®fje  ©utloofe 


(1919) 


CHAPTER  VI. 

)t  ©utloofe 


1.  A Changed  Country. 

2.  Ten  Principles  of  Work  in  Chosen: 

(1)  Wide  Itineration: 

a.  Method  of  Travel. 

b.  Scattered  Territory. 

c.  Church  Leaders. 

(2)  Distribution  of  Scriptures: 

a.  Bible  Society. 

b.  Tract  Society. 

c.  Christian  Literature. 

d.  Present  Need. 

(3)  Bible  Study: 

a.  Bible  Reading. 

b.  Heathen  Sunday  School  Work. 

c.  Church  Sunday  School  Work. 

(4)  Self  Propagation: 

a.  Threefold  Standard. 

b.  New  Methods. 

(5)  Self  Support: 

a.  Dr.  Nevius’  Visit. 

b.  Four  Rules  Adopted. 

c.  Native  Ordained  Pastors. 

(6)  Self  Government. 

(7)  Foreign  Missions: 

a.  Pastor  Kil’s  Vision. 

b.  Women’s  Missionary  Societies. 

(8)  Schools: 

a.  Educational  Aim. 

b.  New  Problems. 

c.  Manual  Training. 

d.  Oriental  versus  Occidental  Ideals. 

(9)  Medical  Work: 

a.  Hygienic  Conditions. 

b.  Village  Life. 

c.  Medical  Situation. 

(10)  Bible  Standards: 

a.  Sabbath  Keeping. 

b.  Wine. 

c.  Marriage. 

d.  Business  Honesty. 

3.  Chosen  Life  Line: 

(1)  The  Korea  Campaign. 

(2)  Sprue. 

(3)  Death  of  Mrs.  Bell  and  Mr.  Crane. 

(4)  Present  Outlook. 

4.  The  Three  Beasts. 

5.  Victory  Through  the  “Blood  of  the  Lamb.” 


CHAPTER  VI. 


®[)e  ©utloofe 

(1919) 

“And  many  people  shall  go  and  say,  Come  ye,  and  let  us  go 
up  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  to  the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob; 
and  He  will  teach  us  of  His  ways,  and  we  unll  walk  in  His  paths; 
for  out  of  Zion  shall  go  forth  the  law,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord 
from  Jerusalem .” — Isaiah  2:3. 

A New  World. — Some  time  ago,  one  of  our  women 
itinerators  returning  from  a trip  to  one  of  the  distant 
country  churches,  boarded  an  old  style  Korean  row  boat. 
There  was  already  in  the  boat  “Ye  Olde  Tyme  Korean 
Gentleman,’ ’ who  knew  Korea  as  the  Hermit  Nation  and 
had  not  yet  come  in  touch  with  the  life  of  the  new  Chosen. 
His  venerable  beard  flowed  down  to  his  waist  and  his 
pipe  was  over  a yard  long.  He  stood  in  absolute  amaze- 
ment at  this  barbarian  woman  who  travelled  with  her  face 
uncovered.  Finding  that  she  was  so  immodest  that  she 
did  not  turn  her  back  to  him,  he  at  last  considerately 
turned  his  back  on  her,  muttering  to  himself,  “It  is  a 
strange  world.” 

Changes. — At  the  next  stop  they  brought  on  a Jap- 
anese cart,  very  different  from  the  old  lumbering  ox-cart 
of  the  Koreans.  The  old  man  got  up  and  walked  around 
this  marvelous  contraption,  and  ejaculated,  “It  is  a 
strange  world.”  But  wonders  did  not  cease.  At  the  next 
landing  was  a motorcycle,  an  old  style  that  made  much 
noise  and  caused  much  smell,  but  this  made  it  all  the  more 
wonderful  to  the  Korean  Rip  Van  Winkle.  He  looked  at 
it  and  finally  went  to  the  farthermost  edge  of  the  boat, 
seated  himself,  and  pulling  out  his  yard  long  pipe,  began 
to  puff  complacently,  saying,  “It  is  a strange  new  world 


1 68 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


but  what  of  it?”  So  long  as  he  had  his  tobacco  and  pipe 
he  could  turn  his  back  on  these  disconcerting  changes. 

But  so  many  and  so  far  reaching  have  been  the 
changes  in  Chosen  in  the  last  ten  years  that  it  is  growing 
increasingly  hard  for  anyone  to  turn  his  back  on  them 
and  ignore  them.  Bicycles,  foreign  clothes,  especially  for- 
eign shoes,  books,  street-cars,  Japanese  good  roads,  all 
are  helping  to  make  a new  world  out  of  the  land  of 
Chosen. 

Ten  Principles. — Through  it  all  the  Church  has  gone 
steadily  forward,  not  making  perhaps  the  spectacular 
gains  which  it  did  a few  years  ago,  but  steadily  building. 
There  are  ten  principles  according  to  which  the  Presby- 
terian Church  has  conducted  its  work  in  Chosen  for  a quar- 
ter of  a century;  and  it  might  be  well  to  mention  them, 
with  some  comment  as  to  how  the  great  world  changes 
are  affecting  them.  I shall  follow  the  outline  given  in  the 
“Digest  of  the  Presbyterian  Church/’  prepared  by  Rev. 
Charles  Allen  Clark,  D.  D.,  of  Seoul. 

(1)  Wide  Itineration. — This  is  done  by  almost  the 
whole  missionary  body,  women  as  well  as  men.  This 
method  of  work  was  instituted  at  the  very  first,  originally 
for  exploration  purposes,  but  because  it  yielded  such  a rich 
harvest  it  was  soon  adopted  as  the  regular  method  of 
work.  With  the  years,  however,  its  problems  have 
changed.  Where  we  used  to  have  mere  pig  tracks  we 
now  have  good  roads;  there  having  recently  been  com- 
pleted some  twenty-five  hundred  and  thirty-live  miles  of 
first-class  roads,  fit  for  fast  motor  traffic.  Thus  our  mode 
of  travel  has  greatly  changed.  One  missionary  has  thought 
of  collecting  all  the  machines  of  travel  used  by  members 
of  his  station  and  exhibiting  them  in  his  front  yard  to  see 
what  an  interesting  show  they  would  make. 

Itineration  Cake. — He  gave  in  the  following  recipe 
for  “Itineration  Cake:”  “First  get  your  old  clothes  on. 


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169 


Then  bring  one  braying  donkey  and  tie  near  him  one 
Korean  pack  pony  of  small  stature  and  mean  disposition. 
Do  not  stir  nor  beat,  it  will  injure  the  leaven.  Then  drag 
in  one  flat-bottom  boat  and  put  in  one  Montgomery  Ward 
bicycle,  the  Hawthorne  De  Luxe  model.  Add,  to  suit  the 
taste  of  the  ladies,  one  seasicky  sedan  chair  and  one  jolt- 
ing jinriksha.  Put  in  one  pair  of  shoes,  for  the  walking 
is  always  good.  Flavor  with  one  stale  tobacco  filled  coach, 
third-class,  of  the  Chosen  railway.  Shake  thoroughly  over 
rough  roads  in  a little  two-wheeled  road  cart.  It  is  only 
in  the  last  three  months  that  it  has  been  discovered  that 
this  cake  is  not  complete  without  frosting.  For  frosting 
take  one  small  Henry  Ford,  model  1917.” 

But  no  matter  how  he  goes,  one  of  the  evangelist’s 
greatest  problems  is  how  to  get  to  his  churches  often 
enough  and  on  time.  With  the  growth  of  the  churches  in 
numbers  this  has  become  increasingly  difficult.  Suppose 
that  you  had  twenty-five  churches  scattered  over  three  or 
four  counties,  and  that  there  were  mountain  passes  to 
cross  and  rivers  to  ford  in  reaching  them.  If  he  could 


Country  School,  Chunju. 


170  DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 

only  remove  the  mountains,  dry  up  the  rivers,  and  draw 
his  constituency  into  one  big  congregation,  each  mission- 
ary would  have  a great  spiritual  body  to  train  and  lead. 

Church  Leaders. — With  our  parish  and  forces  scatter- 
tered  as  they  are,  the  training  of  these  babes  of  Christ  has 
become  more  and  more  a problem,  especially  as  with  the 
influx  of  newspapers,  public  schools,  and  the  spread  of  new 
ideas,  the  Koreans  themselves  have  become  more  critical 
of  their  church  leaders.  They  are  more  and  more  demand- 
ing trained,  educated  men,  who  can  arrest  their  attention 
and  hold  their  interest.  In  consequence,  many  of  our  old- 
time,  earnest,  but  unlearned  men,  have  had  to  be  laid 
aside.  And  so  the  missionary’s  time  has  had  to  go  more 
into  Bible  class  and  training  work.  However,  we  cannot 
but  notice  that  the  fields  are  developing  best  where  the 
widest  itinerating  is  being  done. 

(2)  Distribution  of  the  Scriptures. — On  the  back 
cover  of  the  latest*  copy  of  “The  Korean  Mission  Field”  is 
the  heading,  “Unhasting-yet-unresting,  ” emphasizing  the 
fact  that  the  Bible  Society  never  takes  a holiday.  The 
need  for  the  Word  of  God  is  greater  now  than  ever  before. 
And  so,  in  winter  or  summer,  in  peace  or  war,  the  outflow 
of  copies  of  the  Scriptures  goes  on  unceasingly.  At  dif- 
ferent times  both  the  American  and  the  British  Bible  So- 
cieties have  had  work  in  Chosen,  but  by  a happy  agree- 
ment last  year,  the  American  organization  took  over  all 
the  work  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  leaving  the  work  in 
Chosen  entirely  to  the  British  Society,  thus  in  both  coun- 
tries making  for  comity  and  economy  in  administration 

Bible  Society- -There  is  no  man  in  Korea  more  truly 
loved  and  admired  than  Mr.  Hugh  Miller,  the  genial 
Scotchman  who  is  Secretary  of  the  Bible  Society.  Foi 
nearly  twenty  years  he  has  stood  at  the  helm,  ready  al- 
ways to  send  a colporteur  into  a new  field  or  to  rush  an 
order  for  Bibles.  He  says  in  the  1918  report,  “We  count 


THE  OUTLOOK 


171 

the  volumes  circulated  and  are  happy  to  have  put  751,961 
copies  of  the  Bible  into  the  hands  of  the  people  this  year. 
Who  can  reckon  the  influence  of  the  gospel  message  in  the 
lives  of  many  in  these  mountains  and  villages,  for  to 
quote  the  African  proverb:  “You  can  count  the  apples  on 
the  tree,  but  you  cannot  count  the  trees  in  the  apple.” 

Tract  Society. — In  1890  the  Korean  Religious  Book 
and  Tract  Society  was  organized  to  promote  the  produc- 
tion and  the  circulation  of  religious  books  in  Korea. 
All  of  the  missions  in  Korea  co-operate  in  the  work  of  this 
Society.  It  publishes  in  Korean  the  “Christian  Messen- 
ger,” weekly;  the  “Bible  Magazine,”  bi-monthly;  the 
Theological  Review,”  quarterly;  the  “Sunday  School 
Lessons,”  annually,  and  in  English,  “The  Korean  Mission 
Field,”  monthly. 

Literature  Neglected. — Korean  Christian  literature  is 
very  much  needed.  We  have  school  books,  Bible  Com- 
mentaries, some  books  of  devotional  reading,  a few  vol- 
umes on  general  subjects,  and  such  books  as  “Pilgrim’s 
Progress,”  Fosdick’s  “The  Manhood  of  the  Master,” 
Torrey’s  “How  to  Lead  Men  to  Christ,”  Murray’s  “Secret 
Prayer  Life,”  etc.,  have  been  translated;  but  the  fields  of 
history,  geography,  science,  etc.,  are  practically  untouched. 
Perhaps  one  reason  why  the  literary  work  has  been  so  neg- 
lected in  Chosen  is  because  of  the  way  the  evangelistic 
work  pushed  in  on  the  workers.  When  people  were  plead- 
ing with  you  to  come  and  tell  them  of  Christ,  you  could  not 
shut  yourself  up  in  your  study  to  translate  a book,  no 
matter  how  good  it  was;  but  now  that  the  country  is  be- 
ing flooded  with  Japanese  literature,  much  of  it  filled  with 
materialism  and  immorality,  it  is  imperative  that  we  have 
a broader  Christian  literature  to  counteract  this.  To  this 
end  the  mission  has  considered  setting  a missionary  apart 
definitely  for  translation  work,  and  Rev.  W.  M.  Clark  has 
been  chosen  for  that  task.  As  yet,  however,  lack  of  funds 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


and  a worker  to  take  Mr.  Clark ’s  large  country  field  have 
blocked  the  plan. 

Drs.  Bell  and  Reynolds  have  each  prepared  several 
theological  books  and  Dr.  Reynolds’  monumental  work  on 
Bible  translation  has  already  been  mentioned.  Mrs.  Tate 
translated  the  “Child’s  Catechism”  which  has  been  mem- 
orized all  over  Korea.  Miss  Tate  also  wrote  a sketch  of 
her  Korean  Bible  woman,  In  Mo  Kim  To,  as  an  inspiration 
to  her  Chosen  sisters.  Several  have  written  hymns  and 
tracts  and  helped  edit  the  Sunday  School  Lessons. 

Children’s  Books  Needed. — We  need  books  for  chil- 
dren very  much.  Our  Christian  literature  is  almost  bar- 
ren of  children’s  books,  and  we  all  realize  that  a larger 
force  and  more  time  and  money  are  needed  in  these  days 
to  help  the  children  of  Korea;  for  the  anchor  chains  of 
the  past  have  been  broken,  the  nation  is  at  sea  mentally, 
morally,  and  spiritually,  trying  desperately  to  make  fast 
by  their  strands  of  modern  education,  modern  thought,  and 
modern  ideals.  The  “Christian  Messenger,”  published 
weekly  and  edited  by  Rev.  P.  S.  Kim,  one  of  our  first 
Seminary  graduates,  reaches  many  of  the  country 
churches;  but  one  of  its  greatest  handicaps  is  that  as  a 
church  paper  it  is  prohibited  by  law  from  publishing  any 
of  the  news  of  the  day.  It  must  confine  itself  to  church 
news.  Mrs.  Tate  edits  the  Women’s  Column  in  this  paper. 
The  missionary  translator’s  work  is  not  only  very  im- 
portant and  much  needed  now,  but  these  books  will  speak 
the  gospel  message  after  he  is  gone. 

(3)  Bible  Study. — Anyone,  even  a woman  who  is  not 
accustomed  to  study,  can  learn  to  read  the  Korean  native 
script  in  a month;  and  so  while  there  has  been  no  fixed 
rule  on  the  subject,  a number  of  missionaries  have  refused 
to  baptize  a person  under  twenty-five  years  of  age,  until 
he  has  learned  to  read  the  Bible  for  himself.  A husband 
has  often  been  refused  baptism  because  he  did  not  take 
enough  interest  to  teach  his  wife  to  read  the  Bible.  The 


THE  OUTLOOK 


173 


Koreans  themselves  took  the  position  that  unless  one 
cared  enough  for  the  gospel  to  learn  to  read  it,  he  had  not 
the  root  of  the  matter  in  his  heart.  This  has  helped  to 
make  the  Church  a Bible-reading  and  a Bible-loving 
Church.  Every  Christian  carries  his  own  Bible  and  song 
book  to  every  service.  They  open  their  books  and  follow 
the  reading  when  the  leader  announces  his  Scripture. 
Thus  it  has  been  natural  for  the  Bible-carrying,  Bible- 
studying  Church  to  make  an  advance  step  in  its  Sunday 
School  work. 

Heathen  Sunday  Schools. — In  1910  Miss  Nellie  Ran- 
kin, of  Chunju,  became  concerned  because  there  was  no 
special  work  being  done  for  the  children  of  the  heathen 
homes  around  her.  She  and  Dr.  Daniel  of  the  same  sta- 
tion organized  an  afternoon  Sunday  School  for  the  non- 
Christian  children,  the  first  of  its  kind,  I think,  in  Korea. 
But  just  one  year  later  God  called  Miss  Rankin  to  higher 
service,  and  while  Miss  Sadie  Buckland  nobly  took  up  her 
work  in  the  Chunju  Girl’s  School,  the  Sunday  School  work 
was  dropped.  The  next  year  Mr.  M.  L.  Swinehart  came  to 
the  Mission  and  with  broad  vision  he  has  attempted  to  or- 
ganize these  schools  all  over  Chosen.  They  are  held  at 
different  hours  from  the  regular  Sunday  Schools,  a special 
effort  being  made  to  reach  non-Christian  children.  The 
colloquial  name  for  them  is  “Heathen  Sunday  Schools,” 
which,  though  it  sounds  like  a paradox,  expresses  just 
what  they  are,  evangelistic  agencies  for  reaching  the 
heathen  children.  They  are  doing  a wonderful  work. 
Many  parents  have  been  converted  through  them,  for  we 
must  never  forget  that  if  the  world  is  to  be  saved  the 
children  must  be  reached.  In  many  of  these  schools  in 
the  country  districts  the  leaders  have  reverted  to  the  plan 
of  the  original  Sunday  School  of  Robert  Raikes,  teaching 
their  pupils  first  to  read  their  letters  that  they  may  be 
able  to  read  the  gospel  message. 


174 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


The  regular  church  Sunday  School  has  one  feature 
that  the  church  at  home  might  emulate — that  everyone  in 
the  congregation  from  grandpa  down  to  the  babies,  (N. 
B.  We  can  all  testify  to  the  presence  of  the  babies),  at- 
tends as  a matter  of  course. 

(4)  Self  Propagation. — There  is  one  formula  that  is 
known  all  over  the  Chosen  church:  “Chadong,  chadang, 
chachi,”  “ Self -propagating,  self-supporting,  and  self- 
governing.”  Some  of  our  leaders  have  always  insisted 
that  there  is  a Biblical  reason  why  these  should  be  placed 
in  just  that  order.  It  is  the  Christian’s  first  duty  to 
preach,  to  tell  the  story  to  his  neighbors  and  friends,  to 
the  uttermost  parts  of  the  world.  In  many  places  it  has 
become  the  custom  to  utilize  the  Korean  New  Year  as  a 
time  for  special  personal  work,  for  the  first  two  weeks  of 
the  New  Year  is  a holiday  with  them.  Tents  have  been 
used  extensively  in  the  last  few  years  in  special  evangel- 
istic campaigns. 

(5)  Self-support. — In  1890  Dr.  Nevius,  of  China,  vis- 
ited Korea  and  laid  before  the  Korean  workers  the  prin- 
ciples for  which  he  was  contending  in  his  own  China  work. 
I shall  quote  from  Dr.  Underwood’s  “Call  to  Korea” 
the  rules  then  adopted  and  still  in  force : 

First,  to  let  each  man  abide  in  the  calling  where  he 
was  found,  teaching  that  each  was  to  be  an  individual 
worker  for  Christ  and  to  live  Christ  in  his  own  neighbor- 
hood, supporting  himself  by  his  trade. 

Second,  to  develop  church  methods  and  machinery 
only  so  far  as  the  native  church  was  able  to  take  care  of 
and  manage  the  same. 

Third,  as  far  as  the  church  itself  was  able  to  provide 
the  men  and  means,  to  set  aside  those  who  seemed  best 
qualified  to  do  evangelistic  work  among  their  neighbors. 

Fourth,  to  let  the  Koreans  provide  their  own  church 
buildings,  which  were  to  be  in  the  native  style  of  architeo- 


THE  OUTLOOK 


175 


ture  and  of  such  quality  as  the  native  church  could  afford 
to  put  up. 

In  the  stations  in  which  the  missionaries  live  the 
church  buildings  must  be  larger  as  they  are  often  used 
for  Bible  Class  Work.  For  this  reason  Mission  aid  is  often 
given  in  building  them.  But  each  group  of  believers  pays 
the  full  expenses  of  its  meetings  and  builds  its  own  church. 
Ordained  Korean  pastors  must  receive  all  their  salary 
from  the  churches. 

(6)  Self-Government. — Each  itinerating  missionary 
has  under  his  charge  from  ten  to  fiftj^  churches,  and  since 
he  cannot  visit  them  more  than  three  or  four  times  a year 
he  endeavors  through  the  local  group  leaders  and  helpers 
to  keep  in  touch  with  them.  They  have  the  right,  in  con- 
sultation with  the  missionary,  to  select  their  own  leader, 
and  when  they  join  with  a group  of  churches  in  support- 
ing a helper,  they  can  elect  their  own  helper,  although  the 
missionary  holds  the  right  of  veto.  Of  course  our  Presby- 
teries and  the  General  Assembly  are  self-governing. 

(7)  Foreign  Missions. — The  Korean  Church  realizes 
its  duty  to  “regions  beyond.”  In  1906  Mr.  Kil,  the  blind 
preacher  of  Pyeng  Yang,  put  before  his  people  this  mis- 
sionary vision:  “May  we  soon  carry  the  Gospel  to  all 
parts  of  our  land,  and  then  may  it  be  granted  to  us  to  do 
for  China’s  millions  still  in  darkness,  what  the  American 
Christians  have  done  for  us, — send  missionaries  to  tell 
them  the  way  of  salvation  through  Christ.”  We  now  have 
work  in  Quelpart,  in  Yladivostock,  and  in  Shantung, 
China,  all  supported  by  the  Korean  Church. 

Women’s  Missionary  Societies. — There  are  a number 
of  Women’s  Missionary  Societies  among  our  churches.  I 
am  amused  to  find  the  same  bashful  member,  the  same 
tardy  one,  the  same  enthusiastic  one  here  that  I used  ':o 
meet  at  home.  There  is  one  difference  however,  they  all 
lead  in  prayer.  One  must  say,  “We  shall  be  glad  to  have 


176 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


three  short  prayers,”  if  one  does  not  want  to  be  led  in 
prayer  through  all  the  evening.  One  Missionary  Society 
has  supported  a Bible  Woman  on  Quelpart  for  a number 
of  years ; another  divides  its  offerings  between  Home  and 
Foreign  Missions ; still  another  supports  a city  Bible 
Woman.  We  have  been  hampered  in  the  past  in  all  of  our 
women’s  work  by  the  fact  that  we  could  use  only  middle- 
aged  women  as  Bible  women,  helpers,  and  Sunday  School 
teachers.  According  to  Korean  custom  a young  woman 
must  indeed  be  neither  ‘‘seen  nor  heard;”  but  this  is 
fast  changing  so  that  at  our  Woman’s  Missionary  Society 


(1)  Primary  Class,  Mary  Baldwin  School,  Kunsan;  (2)  Mary 
Baldwin  School,  Kunsan. 


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1 77 


it  is  beautiful  to  see  a mother  and  her  daughter  serving  on 
the  same  committee.  There  is  nothing  brighter  for  the  fu- 
ture of  Chosen  than  the  awakening  of  the  women  to 
their  potential  force  in  Christian  service. 

(8)  Schools. — Educational  work  with  the  motive  of 
Nurture  rather  than  Evangelism.  It  has  never  been  the 
idea  of  the  Presbyterian  missionary  to  bring  Western 
Civilization  to  these  people.  We  have  wanted  to  train 
the  children  of  the  Church  so  that  they  could  be  men  and 
women  equipped  with  ‘ ‘The  Sword  of  the  Spirit,”  a pre- 
pared people  for  a prepared  work.  We  have  never  lacked 
for  the  children  of  the  Church  that  needed  to  be  edu- 
cated, but  unfortunately  our  means  and  forces  have  often 
been  inadequate  to  care  for  them.  We  have  taken  chil- 
dren from  non-Christian  homes  into  our  schools  in  small 
numbers,  but  the  majority  of  our  pupils  have  always 
been  from  Christian  homes.  Non-Christian  teachers  have 
never  been  used  at  all  as  they  would  be  utterly  out  of 
sympathy  with  the  purpose  of  the  schools.  Hundreds  of 
people  have  been  won  to  Christ  through  the  schools,  either 
directly  or  indirectly,  but  their  main  purpose  has  been 
for  the  nurture  of  the  children  of  the  Church. 

School  Problems. — But  new  and  grave  problems  are 
now  facing  our  schools.  Under  the  government  regula- 
tions all  educational  institutions  of  certain  standards  must 
have  a fixed  income  up  to  a certain  amount.  For  instance, 
a school  of  the  grade  called  a “lower  common  school” 
must  have  a budget  of  yen  1,200  or  more.  The  increased 
expense  of  running  our  schools  is  a great  difficulty.  Also 
we  must  now  have  a Japanese  teacher  and  within  a few 
years  all  of  our  teachers  must  be  good  Japanese  scholars. 

Manual  Training. — One  of  our  greatest  problems  is 
that  connected  with  manual  training.  If  the  Korean  is  to 
compete  with  his  neighbor  he  must  be  trained  to  use  both 
his  head  and  his  hands,  and  now  our  Mission  is  much  con- 


i78 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


cerned  over  the  manual  training  department  in  our  boys’ 
academies. 

But  all  of  our  problems  are  not  from  without.  It  is 
a truism  to  say  that  the  present  is  an  age  of  transition  but 
the  problem  of  the  Chosen  boy  and  girl  takes  on  indi- 
vidual color  from  the  fact  that  the  people  are  now  in  the 
midst  of  a struggle  between  the  old  ideals  of  the  family 
control  of  the  individual  and  the  new  ideal  of  the  indi- 
vidual’s rights  of  choice  for  himself. 

Family  Control. — For  instance,  for  centuries  the  pa- 
rents have  chosen  the  wife  for  the  son.  He  did  not  see 
her  until  several  days  after  the  wedding,  for  when  the 
ceremony  was  performed  she  was  covered  with  a cloak- 
like garment,  that  made  it  indeed  impossible  to  tell  Leah 
from  Rachel.  Even  our  Christian  parents  still  choose  the 
wife  for  their  son,  and  until  a few  years  ago  it  was  un- 
heard of  for  the  young  couple  to  live  apart  from  their 
parents,  that  is  the  parents  of  the  groom.  It  was  a pa- 
triarchal arrangement.  But  now  the  educated  boys  are 
demanding  the  right  of  choice. 

You  say,  ‘‘Fine,  let  the  good  work  go  on.”  But  is  it 
not  Elizabeth  Browning  who  says,  “The  birth  pangs  of 
nations  will  wring  us  at  length  into  a wail?”  It  is  cer- 
tain that  the  birth  pangs  of  a new  social  order  among 
any  people  are  accompanied  by  aching  hearts  and  wrecked 
lives,  unless  great  care  is  taken  by  those  who  have  the 
guiding  hand. 

Girls  from  non-Christian  homes  often  enter  our 
schools,  and  while  there,  become  sincere  consecrated 
Christians.  Then  comes  the  marriage  question ; shall  they 
defy  the  custom  of  ages  and  refuse  to  marry  when  their 
parents  command?  They  are  thus  deciding  to  stand  out 
against  the  past,  but  their  decision  is  bringing  in  its  train 
many  questions. 

Ser  Susin’s  Crime. — The  masses  of  the  Koreans  still 
look  askance  at  any  decided  break  from  former  practice, 


THE  OUTLOOK 


179 


When  I came  home  from  a brief  summer  vacation  several 
years  ago,  I was  greeted  by  several  Korean  friends  with, 
‘ ‘ Oh  Pouin,  Ser  Susin  has  done  something  very  dreadful ; 
you  must  not  take  her  back  into  the  school;  she  will  con- 
taminate the  other  girls.”  Ser  Susin  was  a tall  girl,  with 
face  marked  from  smallpox,  who  was  then  in  her  grad- 
uating year.  Her  father  had  betrothed  her  to  a young 
carpenter  who  had  already  paid  for  her  by  adding  a room 
to  Mr.  Ser’s  house.  So  Ser  Susin  was  his  property  and 
they  were  to  be  married  as  soon  as  she  graduated.  After 
betrothal  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  the  man  to  pay  for 
the  girl’s  clothes  and  schooling  for  does  she  not  belong  '.o 
him? 

I inquired  into  Ser  Susin ’s  dark  deed,  and  I found 
that  she  had  written  a letter  to  her  fiance  asking  him  to 
give  her  a pair  of  new  shoes  and  a tablet  and  pencil,  and 
promising  him  if  he  did  this  for  her  she  would  be  a very 
obedient  wife  to  him,  and  never,  oh  never,  let  the  rice 
scorch.  The  letter  writing  was  the  dreadful  deed.  An 
unmarried  Korean  girl  writing  to  a man, — it  was  a fearful 
thing,  she  was  not  fit  to  associate  with  the  other  school 
girls. 

The  girl  was  brought  before  me  and  I asked  her  how 
she  had  come  to  violate  the  rules  of  her  country  in  this 
way.  She  replied,  “But  Pouin,  did  not  you  write  to  the 
Moksa  before  you  married  him?  We  girls  once  asked 
Miss  M.  and  she  answered  that  you  did,  and  if  it  was 
right  for  you  to  do  it  why  could  not  I?”  I answered, 
“Because  I am  an  American  and  you  are  a Korean.  Ac- 
cording to  the  custom  of  my  land  it  was  all  right  for  me 
to  write  to  the  Moksa  before  I married  him,  but  it  would 
have  been  all  wrong  for  me  to  have  asked  him  for  a pair 
of  shoes.  It  would  have  been  considered  not  refined  for 
me  to  ask  him  to  buy  me  something  to  wear.  Now  you 
are  a Korean.  It  was  all  right  for  him  to  give  you  a pair 
of  shoes,  but  all  wrong  for  you  to  write  the  letter.  You 
must  not  mix  the  customs  of  the  two  lands.” 


l80  DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 

Trained  Nurse. — The  sequel  to  Ser  Susin’s  story, 
showing  the  attitude  of  mind  of  the  ordinary  Korean 
man,  is  also  interesting.  The  young  carpenter  was  not  so 
sure  that  he  wanted  a wife  who  would  do  so  bold  a thing, 
and  so  a compassionate  missionary  paid  for  the  new  room 
and  Ser  Susin  was  released  from  her  bond.  She  went  to 
the  Severance  Hospital  in  Seoul,  took  the  nurses’  training 
course,  graduated  there  last  April,  and  is  now  one  of  the 
most  efficient  helpers  that  they  have. 

One  question  that  confronts  the  young  people  of 
Chosen  today,  and  one  that  w.e  shall  have  to  in  a measure 


(i)  Native  Staff,  Kunsan  Hospital;  (2)  Nurses’  Training  Class, 
Kunsan  Hospital. 


THE  OUTLOOK 


181 

help  them  answer,  is  how  to  strike  the  balance  between 
the  individualism  that  has  surged  in  on  them  from  the 
West  and  the  inherited  -and  forceful  doctrine  of  family 
control. 

(9)  Medical  Work. — Our  doctors  and  nurses  are  do- 
ing a wonderful  hygienic  work.  They  have  published 
leaf  tracts  and  pamphlets  about  flies,  good  water,  chil- 
dren’s diseases,  contagious  diseases,  etc.,  that  have  been 
of  inestimable  value  in  educating  the  Koreans.  ‘ ‘ Swat  the 
fly”  is  still  far  from  being  a watchword  in  Chosen.  When 
one  of  the  missionaries  was  cautioning  the  cook  to  kill  all 
of  the  flies  in  the  kitchen,  he  calmly  replied,  “Please  don’t 
worry.  They  do  not  eat  more  than  ten  sen  worth  a day.  ’ ’ 

Village  Life. — Chosen  is  still  a country  of  villages. 
The  traveller  passing  through  Korea  from  the  railroad 
train  sees  a few  large  cities  with  their  modern  buildings, 
wide  streets,  and  hurrying  motor  cars,  and.  he  does  not 
realize  that  a scant  five  per  cent  of  the  people  live  in  the 
cities  while  the  rest  of  the  seventeen  million  live  today  as 
their  ancestors  lived  centuries  ago,  and  as  most  of  their 
descendants  will  live  for  many  years  to  come,  that  is  in 
villages  which  range  from  those  of  two  thousand  homes 
to  the  mountain  hamlet  of  five  houses. 

Wild  Animals. — To  know  how  really  close  to  na- 
ture’s heart  Chosen  is  we  may  read  from  the  “Seoul 
Press”  for  March,  1918.  “According  to  official  investiga- 
tion the  total  number  of  Koreans  killed  and  injured  dur- 
ing the  past  year  by  wild  beasts  in  Chosen  was  eighty-eight 
and  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  respectively.  In  addi- 
tion 163  cattle  and  2,890  other  domestic  animals  were 
killed  by  the  ravages  of  tigers  or  leopards.  During  the 
year  29  tigers,  73  leopards,  332  bears,  199  wolves,  244  wild 
boar,  and  4,421  deer  were  bagged  by  the  gendarmes.  This 
takes  no  account  of  the  number  killed  by  private  hunters. 
It  brings  home  the  fact  that  this  is  still  a country  where 
the  people  live  close  to  nature.” 


1 82  DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 

Medical  Practice. — There  is  hardly  a hamlet  or  vil- 
lage through  the  community  where  the  names  of  our  doc- 
tors and  hospitals  and  their  work  have  not  gone,  prepar- 
ing a way  for  the  entrance  of  the  Gospel  Message. 

Removing  a cataract,  while  not  the  most  difficult  op- 
eration, may  be  a very  spectacular  one ; and  when  a man 
who  has  been  blind  for  a number  of  years  returns  to  his 
village  with  his  sight  restored,  it  is  a miracle  to  them. 
A campaign  for  vaccination  has  done  a great  deal  to  les- 
sen the  smallpox  plague.  At  each  of  our  Bible  Classes 
a short  course  on  home  hygiene  is  taught,  and  the  station 
doctor  gives  from  three  to  four  night  lectures  to  both  men 
and  women.  Koreans  know  nothing  about  feeding  chil- 
dren. On  the  hottest  August  day  one  will  find  them 
feeding  a baby  green  melons  and  unripe  fruit.  It  was 
only  last  week  that  I cautioned  my  cook  not  to  allow  the 
five-year-old  child  of  a visiting  friend  to  eat  too  many 
nuts.  She  calmly  replied,  “Oh,  I am  just  giving  him  the 
rancid  ones,  those  you  told  me  to  throw  away.”  The 
point,  in  her  mind,  was  not  the  danger  to  the  boy’s  “tum- 
my”, but  the  saving  of  my  pecans.  Our  doctors  and 
schools  are  doing  much  along  the  line  of  teaching  food 
value  and  diet.  Never  was  the  prospect  for  medical  work 
brighter.  Now  the  doctors  are  feeling  the  urgent  need 
for  two  doctors  in  each  hospital. 

(10)  Bible  Standards. — From  the  beginning  the  mat- 
ter of  keeping  the  Sabbath,  wine  drinking,  secondary 
wives,  and  all  such  questions  have  been  handled  very 
strictly  by  the  missionary,  and  now  much  more  strictly 
by  the  Korean  Church.  All  such  faults  are  considered 
sufficient  to  bar  from  baptism  or  to  call  for  discipline  if 
committed  by  those  who  are  baptized. 

Sabbath  Keeping. — Sabbath  keeping  is  a severe  test 
of  the  weak  Christian.  Here  there  is  no  other  one  thing 
that  so  distinctly  marks  the  line  between  the  Church  and 
the  world  as  the  observance  of  the  Lord’s  day.  If  you 


THE  OUTLOOK 


183 


keep  a shop,  to  close  your- doors  when  the  shops  all  around 
you  are  open, — one  can  do  it  once  or  twice,  but  to  keep  on 
doing  it  every  Sabbath  day  in  the  year  means  not  only  the 
loss  of  one  seventh  of  your  income,  but  the  loss  of  regu- 
lar customers,  who,  when  they  come  and  find  your  door 
closed,  do  their  buying  elsewhere.  We  have  already 
spoken  of  the  Chosen  custom  of  holding,  every  fifth  day  at 
certain  centers,  great  markets.  Of  course  occasionally 
market  day  will  come  on  Sunday  and  that  is  a time  of 
real  testing,  for  a man  makes  as  much  on  market  day  as 
he  does  on  all  the  rest  of  the  week  combined.  I wonder 
at  the  term  “rice  Christian,”  for  it  costs  something  to 
be  a Christian  in  a heathen  land.  It  means  real  pecuniary 
loss,  isolation,  the  jeers  and  taunts  of  heathen  neighbors, 
and  often  being  cut  off  from  your  own  family. 

Rice  Planting. — It  is  a custom  among  the  farmers  to 
serve  wine  at  the  rice-planting  and  harvesting,  and  it  thus 
becomes  difficult  for  the  Christian  farmer  to  get  help  at 
that  time,  because  he  does  not  follow  the  time-honored 
rule.  Dr.  Forsythe  and  Mr.  Junkin  had  several  orphan 
boys  living  with  a Christian  family  in  Chunju.  The  boys 
were  allowed  to  plant  and  cultivate  for  themselves  a small 
mission  field.  Next  to  it  was  the  larger  field  of  a wealthy 
farmer.  When  his  field  was  planted  the  workers  danced 
to  the  music  of  pans  and  drums,  doing  homage  to  the 
spirits  that  bring  rain  and  drought;  rice  and  wine  were 
scattered  over  the  field  as  an  offering  to  the  spirit;  and 
everything  possible  was  done  to  propitiate  the  rulers  of 
earth,  air,  and  water  that  they  might  send  a good  crop. 

When  the  boys  were  ready  to  plant  their  field  and 
the  rich  neighbor  found  that  there  was  to  be  no  wine,  no 
dancing,  no  effort  to  win  favor  from  the  spirits,  he  was 
worried  because  their  field  joined  his,  and  if  the  spirits 
should  grow  angry  over  their  neglect,  would  not  his  fields 
perhaps  suffer  too  ? He  therefore  sent  to  the  boys  offering 
to  pay  all  expenses  for  rice,  wme,  and  professional  dancers. 


184 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


But  the  boys  declined.  And  all  day  long  their  cheery 
voices  rang  out,  singing,  “Bringing  in  the  Sheaves,”  as 
knee  deep  in  the  muddy  water  they  planted  their  rice. 
That  field  was  watched  with  great  interest  by  the  neigh- 
bors, but  true  to  His  everlasting  promise  to  those  who 
trust  in  Him,  the  Lord  of  the  Harvest  gave  the  boys  au 
abundant  crop.  You  see  how  the  Devil  puts  many  a 
temptation  in  the  way  of  the  Korean  Christian. 

Only  this  morning  Mr.  Oh,  Mr.  Nisbet’s  helper,  said 
that  his  family  is  eating  barley  because  of  the  high  price 
of  rice,  but  that  he  has  to  feed  the  coolies  who  work  his 
rice  field  on  rice,  because  as  a Christian  farmer  he  does 
not  furnish  wine  with  their  meals.  The  farmer  who  fur- 
nishes wine  can  feed  his  hands  on  cheap  barley,  but  the 
farmer  who  is  a Christian  has  to  give  expensive  food, 
since  he  declines  to  furnish  the  much-loved  “sul.” 

Marriage  Questions. — The  marriage  question  is  one  of 
the  hardest  that  confronts  the  Korean  Church.  Here  is  a 
man  who,  while  a heathen  and  knowing  nothing  of  God, 
took  two  wives,  and  has  children  by  both  of  them,  is  per- 
haps devotedly  attached  to  the  second  one,  who  is  general- 
ly the  younger  and  more  attractive  of  the  two.  Here  is  a 
woman,  a secondary  wife,  her  husband  is  a heathen  and 
will  not  provide  for  her  and  her  children  if  she  leaves 
him, — yet  she  cannot  be  a Christian  and  live  in  adultery. 
She  has  no  way  of  making  a living  if  she  leaves  her  hus- 
band. Here  is  an  educated  young  man  just  from  our  col- 
lege, married  by  his  parents  to  a stupid  ignorant  wife; 
and  this  is  one  of  the  most  pathetic  situations  in  this  new 
era. 

The  Mother-in-law. — But  there  is  a situation  even 
more  pathetic;  it  is  that  of  a girl  well  educated,  trained 
in  modern  hygiene  and  sanitation,  and  then  turned  over 
by  marriage  to  an  old-fashioned  Chosen  mother-in-law. 
The  old  lady  is  a Christian,  yes,  but  that  does  not  keep 
her  from  giving  the  baby  green  peaches  to  eat,  it  does 


THF  OUTLOOK 


18S 

not  keep  her  from  thinking  that  a bath  is  very  injurious 
for  the  baby,  it  does  not  prevent  her  from  binding  tobacco 
on  baby’s  eyes  if  they  are  sore.  And  remember  that  the 
mother-in-law  is  the  Queen  Bee  in  Korea.  No  daughter- 
in-law  has  any  control  over  her  baby  when  the  mother 
of  its  father  is  there. 

Home  Society. — There  is  one  word  that  is  lacking  in 
the  Korean  language.  They  could  never  sing,  “Be  it  ever 
so  humble,  there’s  no  place  like  home,”  for  they  have  no 
word  for  home,  nor  do  they  have  any  real  conception  of  a 
home.  When  the  first  home  was  set  up  in  the  Garden  of 
Eden,  Adam  and  Eve  were  companions,  God  made  the  first 
woman  to  be  a companion  to  the  man.  If  the  Koreans  ever 
had  that  idea  of  the  position  of  a wife  they  lost  it  cen- 
turies ago.  What  companionship  can  there  be  between 
a man  and  woman  who  custom  says  must  not  talk  to- 
gether, nor  walk  together,  nor  eat  together?  A young 
Korean  woman  is  not  suffered  to  address  her  husband.  I 
had  a friend  who  prided  herself  that  she  was  married  two 
years  before  her  husband  heard  the  sound  of  her  voice. 
Of  course  she  lived  back  in  the  an-pang,  the  women’s 
quarters,  while  he  lived  in  the  men’s  quarters. 

If  a man  and  his  wife  have  to  go  to  the  same  place 
he  walks  ahead  with  her  following  like  a dog  some  two 
yards  behind.  When  the  meal  time  comes  the  food  is  put 
on  a little  table  about  a foot-  and  a half  square  and  one 
foot  high,  on  which  it  is  carried  steaming  hot  to  the  men’s 
quarters.  There  the  Lords  of  Creation  eat  alone.  After 
the  last  one  has  eaten  all  that  he  wants,  the  tables  are  re- 
moved and  the  women  go  back  to  their  back  rooms  and  eat. 
What  sympathy  and  companionship  can  there  be  between 
a husband  and  wife. living  in  that  way?  Strange  as  't 
may  seem  it  is  difficult  to  get  the  women  to  change  this 
custom. 

New  Vision. — Many  a Christian  man  has  seen  his 
home  life  in  a new  light  through  the  Gospel,  but  his  wife 


l86  DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 

and  daughter-in-law  refused  to  change  from  the  old  way. 
They  would  say,  “We  could  not  live  in  the  village  if  we 
ate  with  you.  When  we  go  for  water,  when  we  go  any- 
where, the  women  would  abuse  us  so  that  we  could  not 
endure  it.”  But,  “mine  eyes  have  seen  the  glory  of  the 
coming  of  the  Lord.”  In  the  tiny  room  of  many  a Korean 
home  one  may  see  hung  against  the  wall  a table  something 
like  a yard  square  and  a foot  high. — it  is  the  sign  that  in 
that  home  the  family  eat  together.  Whenever  I see  it  1 
want  to  sing,  “Praise  God  from  Whom  all  blessings  flow,” 
for  I know  that  there  is  a real  Christian  home,  with  the 
wife  and  mother  in  her  rightful  place.  They  have  dis- 
carded the  tiny  table  for  only  one  or  two  people  and 
set  up  the  family  table,  and  it  should  go  with  the  family 
altar.  There  is  the  starting  point  for  the  growth  of  a 
real  companionship  between  the  husband  and  wife,  and 
it  means  much  to  the  life  of  any  people.  They  have  the 
beginning  of  a conception  of  home. 

Korean  Optimism. — When  I was  at  home  on  furlough 
a friend  asked  me  suddenly,  “What  is  the  hardest  thing 
you  have  to  teach  the  Christian  Korean?”  I was  totally 
unprepared  for  the  question,  and  like  many  others  taken 
unawares  I told  the  truth  when  I answered,  “To  pay  their 
debts.”  The  Koreans  are  not  dishonest,  they  are  simply 
optimistic;  they  are  always  sure  that  the  pot  of  gold  is 
just  at  the  foot  of  the  rainbow,  almost  within  their  grasp. 
The  fact  that  we  will  not  ordain  an  elder  who  has  a heavy 
debt  has  helped  to  educate  our  leaders  in  right  business 
thinking. 

With  woman  assuming  her  rightful  place  in  the  home, 
with  the  business  conscience  of  the  Christian  becoming 
educated,  with  a Bible-loving,  soul-winning  church  ad- 
vancing on  its  knees,  we  feel  that, 

“He  has  sounded  forth  the  trumpet  that  shall  never  call  retreat, 
He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  His  judgment  Seat, 
Oh,  be  swift,  my  soul,  to  answer  Him,  be  jubilant  my  feet, 

Our  God  is  marching  on.” 


THE  OUTLOOK 


187 


Korea’s  Life-Line. — In  1911  and  1912  when  the  cam- 
paign to  equip  Korea  thoroughly  was  put  before  the 
Church  at  home,  she  answered  it  in  a magnificent  way. 
With  one  exception,  every  man  we  asked  for  came,  and 
that  one  was  appointed  but  never  sailed,  taking  up  Home 
Mission  work  instead.  I saw  a chart  prepared  at  that 
time,  and  in  it  life-lines  were  being  cast  from  our  home 
office  in  Nashville  to  the  different  countries.  We  felt  a 
little  catch  in  our  throats  when  we  saw  how  far  short  the 
line  was  for  reaching  China’s  millions,  but  in  Korea  the 
line  almost  touched.  Alas,  since  then  the  Korean  line 
has  broken  in  many  places.  That  campaign  was  first 
started  in  1910,  and  since  that  time  we  have  had  sent  to 
Korea  up  to  August,  1919,  forty-nine  men  and  women,  but 
we  have  lost  during  the  same  period,  twenty-seven.  We 
have  gained  twenty-one  men  and  lost  twelve  in  the  last 
nine  years.  Our  life-line  must  be  strengthened,  and  its 
broken  links  must  be  replaced,  if  we  are  to  do  the  work 
that  we  believe  God  has  set  before  us  in  the  Koreans’ 
readiness  to  hear  His  Word. 

Sprue. — Sprue,  that  dread  disease  which  attacks 
Westerners  in  the  Philippines,  in  China,  and  also  in  Porto 
Rico,  has  invaded  Korea.  Two  of  our  workers  have  died 
(Dr.  Forsythe  and  Miss  Bedinger),  and  twelve  others  have 
been  attacked.  Some  of  these  have  had  to  return  to  the 
homeland,  but  others  made  a good  recovery  on  the  field, 
so  that  we  are  feeling  more  hopeful,  now  that  the  disease 
has  been  successfully  combatted. 

Certainly  this  disease  cannot  be  attributed  to  the 
climate;  for  Korea  has  justly  been  called  “The  White 
Man’s  Country,”  because  of  its  good  climate.  Except 
six  weeks  of  hot,  debilitating  weather  in  the  summer,  it 
is  all  one  could  ask.  ’ Spring,  autumn,  and  winter  are  un- 
surpassed. 

The  rainy  season  comes  in  the  summer,  and  then  one 
feels  that  he  is  in  a Turkish  bath  for  three  long  weeks. 


1 88 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


Every  ounce  of  energy  and  strength  leaves  you.  But  I 
cannot  understand  the  reason  for  the  nervous  breakdowns 
among  the  Korean  missionaries.  Some  have  thought  that 
our  long  itinerating  trips  account  for  them ; for  it  has  been 
noticeable  among  those  who  were  out  among  the  Koreans 
for  long  periods,  and  not  among  the  mothers  and  house- 
keepers who  are  very  busy  with  their  children  and  the 
local  work.  Others  have  said  that  it  is  because  the  work 
presses  on  us  here  with  no  let  up.  Until  recent  years 
very  few  of  us  stopped  to  get  away  from  home  during 
the  hot  season. 

God’s  Providence. — This  spring,  as  we  were  feeling 
that  we  could  face  the  battle  with  renewed  courage  be- 
cause of  the  inspiring  visit  of  Dr.  Egbert  Smith,  there 
came  the  heaviest  loss  that  the  Mission  has  ever  had  at 
one  time,  when  through  the  collision  of  their  automobile 
with  the  Fusan  express  train,  Mrs.  Eugene  Bell  and  Rev. 
Paul  Sackett  Crane  were  killed  instantly.  Dr.  Bell  and 
Mrs.  Crane  were  forced  to  return  to  America  with  their 
little  children.  Thus  we  lost  one  couple,  experienced 
through  years  of  successful  work,  expert  in  the  language, 
wise  in  counsel,  and  possessing  the  love  and  confidence 
of  the  Koreans;  and  another  couple  just  entering  upon 
what  promised  to  be  a life  of  telling  service,  characterized 
by  love  of  the  Master,  devotion  to  His  Word,  gentleness 
of  spirit,  and  a desire  to  spend  and  be  spent  in  bringing 
Korea  to  Christ. 

Present  Conditions. — Never  has  our  inability  to  see 
with  the  eye  of  the  Divine  been  more  manifest  than  now, 
for  although  we  know  that  He  sees  the  end  from  the  be- 
ginning, that  He  makes  no  mistakes,  yet  humanly  speak- 
ing it  seems  to  us  that  there  was  never  a time  when  these 
workers  were  so  badly  needed  here  as  now.  For  despite 
all  the  changes  and  unrest,  the  labor  problems  and  politi- 
cal disturbances  of  the  past  year,  God  is  moving  mightily 
in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  Chosen.  There  was  never  a 


THE  OUTLOOK 


189 


time  when  it  was  as  easy  to  “speak  a good  word  for  Jesus” 
as  now. 

Three  weeks  ago  Dr.  Nisbet'  went  out  to  a county 
seat,  a place  always  hard  to  reach.  In  the  weak  church 
there  he  found  seventeen  young  people  waiting  to  be 
taken  into  the  catechumen  class;  fourteen  of  them  were 
young  men,  strong,  well-educated,  well-to-do.  It  seems  as 
though  God  is  again  knocking  at  the  door  of  Chosen. 
Shall  we  not  arise  and  let  Him  in? 

The  Three  Beasts. — Dante  tells  us  that  when  he  was 
on  his  journey  upward  he  met  three  beasts  which  tried  to 
bar  his  progress.  The  first  was  a leopard: 

“And  lo;  just  as  the  sloping  side  I gained, 

A leopard,  subtle,  lithe,  exceeding  fleet, 

Whose  skin  full  many  a dusky  spot  did  stain ; 

Nor  did  she  from  my  face  retreat ; 

Nay,  hindered  so  my  journey  on  the  way, 

That  many  a time  I backward  turned  my  feet.” 

The  Korean  today  who  would  be  a Christian  must  first 
slay  the  leopard  of  sensuality.  All  the  instincts  and  ap- 
peals of  his  old  life  tend  to  make  him  yield  to  this  subtle 
and  fierce  beast,  which  is  not  easily  conquered.  It  stalks 
its  victim  and  is  ready  to  spring  upon  him  again  and 
again.  Buddhism  and  Shintoism  both  cater  to  this  vice, 
and  so  no  wonder  it  stands  in  the  way,  confronting  him 
who  would  climb  the  steep  and  narrow  path  heavenwards. 

Next  Dante  met  a lion: 

“Yet  o’er  me,  spite  of  this,  did  terror  creep — 

From  aspect  of  a lion  drawing  near. 

He  seemed  as  if  upon  me  he  would  leap, 

With  head  upraised  and  hunger  fierce  and  wild, 

So  that  a shudder  through  the  air  did  creep.” 


190 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


For  ages  the  lion  has  been  the  symbol  of  earthly 
power,  worldly  pride, — and  this  beast  too  stands  in  the 
way  of  the  Christian  Korean.  For  he  must  give  up  much 
that  seems  good  from  a worldly  viewpoint  if  he  would 
follow  the  lowly  Nazarene.  Often  it  means  the  surrender 
of  family  headship  and  social  and  village  leadership,  and 
the  sacrifice  of  property. 

There  is  still  a third  beast  to  be  conquered : 

“A  she-wolf  with  all  greed  defiled, 

Laden  with  hungry  leanness  terrible.” 

The  she-wolf,  symbol  of  greed,  avarice,  materialism, 
stands  barring  the  way.  How  can  the  simple  unlearned 
man  of  Chosen  conquer? 

Victory. — He  takes  out  his  much  loved  Bible  and 
reads,  “They  overcame  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.”  From 
many  a village  and  mountain  home  they  have  driven  out 
the  beasts,  because  they  shared  the  blood  of  Christ  and 
He  changed  them  into  conquerors. 

“I  asked  them  whence  their  victory  came, 

They  with-  united  breath, 

Ascribed  their  conquest  to  the  Lamb, 

Their  triumph  to  His  death.” 


OUR  MISSIONARIES  IN  KOREA 


191 


©ur  JUtssionartes  to  lUirea 

The  following  108  men  and  women  are  the  representatives 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States,  in  her  mission 
work  in  Korea.  There  are  doubtless  some  inaccuracies,  but  we 
have  done  the  best  we  could  according  to  the  records  we  have. 
The  second  of  the  two  dates  following  any  name  indicates  the 
termination  of  the  period  of  service.  Cases  of  death  in  service 
are  indicated,  so  far  as  the  facts  are  known,  by  an  asterisk  fol- 
lowing the  second  date. — J.  I.  A. 


Alexander,  Dr.  A.  J.  A.,  Kentucky,  1903-1903. 

Austin,  Miss  Christian  Lillian,  North  Carolina,  1912- 
Bedinger,  Miss  Anna  Moore,  Kentucky,  1910-1916. 

Bell,  Rev.  Eugene,  Kentucky,  1895- 

Bell,  Mrs.  Eugene,  n£e  Lottie  Witherspoon,  Kentucky,  1895-1901.* 
Bell,  Mrs.  Eugene,  nee  Margaret  Whitaker  Bull,  Virginia,  1904-1919.* 
Biggar,  Miss  Meta  Louise,  Missouri,  1910- 
Birdman,  Dr.  F.  H.,  Missouri,  1907-1909. 

Buckland,  Miss  Sadie  Mepham,  Missouri,  1908- 
Bull,  Rev.  William  F.,  Virginia,  1899- 

Bull,  Mrs.  William  F.,  n6e  Libbie  A.  Alby,  Virginia,  1900- 
Clark,  Rev.  William  Monroe,  Alabama,  1909- 

Clark,  Mrs.  William  Monroe,  nee  Ada  Christine  Hamilton,  Kentucky, 
1909- 

Coit,  Rev.  R.  T.,  North  Carolina,  1909- 

Coit,  Mrs.  R.  T.,  n6e  Cecile  Woods,  Mississippi,  1909- 

Colton,  Miss  Susanne  Avery,  North  Carolina,  1911- 

Crane,  Miss  Janet,  Mississippi,  1949- 

Crane,  Rev.  John  Curtis,  Mississippi,  1913- 

Crane,  Mrs.  John  Curtis,  nee  Florence  Hedleston,  Mississippi,  1913- 
Crane,  Rev.  Paul  Sackett,  Mississippi,  1916-1919.* 

Crane,  Mrs.  Paul  S'ackett,  nee  Katherine  Whitehead  Rowland,  Georgia, 
1916-1919. 

Cumming,  Rev.  Daniel  James,  Kentucky,  1918- 
Daniel,  Dr.  Thomas  Henry,  Virginia,  1904-1917. 

Daniel,  Mrs.  Thomas  Henry,  n£e  Sarah  Brice  Dunnington,  Virginia, 
1904-1917. 

Dodson,  Miss  Mary  Lucy,  Texas,  1912- 
Dodson,  Rev.  Samuel  Kendrick,  Texas,  1912- 
Drew,  Dr.  A.  D..  Virginia,  1894-1904. 

Drew,  Mrs.  A.  D.,  n6e  Lucie  E.  Law,  Virginia,  1894-1904. 

Dupuy,  Miss  Lavalette,  North  Carolina,  1912- 
Dysart,  Miss  Julia,  Missouri,  1907- 
Earle,  Rev.  A.  M.,  Virginia,  1904-1911. 

Earle,  Mrs.  A.  M.,  n€e  Eunice  Virginia  Fisher.  West  Virginia,  1907-1911. 
Eversole,  Rev.  Finley  Monwell,  Virginia,  1912- 
Eversole,  Mrs.  F.  M.,  nee  Edna  Earle  Pratt.  Virginia,  1912- 
Forysthe,  Miss  Jean,  Kentucky,  1910-1911. 

Forsythe,  Dr.  W.  H.,  Kentucky,  1904-1918. 

Graham,  Miss  Ellen  Ibernia,  North  Carolina,  1907- 
Greene,  Miss  Willie  Burnice,  Georgia,  1919- 
Greer,  Miss  Anna  Lou,  Texas,  1912-1914. 


192 


DAY  IN  AND  DAY  OUT  IN  KOREA 


\ 


Harding,  Dr.  M.  C.,  Colorado,  1912-1914. 

Harding,  Mrs.  M.  C.  .Colorado,  1912- 

Harrison,  Rev.  William  Butler,  Kentucky,  1896- 

Harrison,  Mrs.  W.  B.,  nee  Linnie  Davis,  Virginia,  1892-1903.* 

Harrison,  Mrs.  W.  B.,  n6e  Margaret  Jane  Edmonds,  Canada,  1908- 

Hill,  Rev.  Pierre  Bernard,  Virginia,  1912-1918. 

Hill,  Mrs.  Pierre  Bernard,  n6e  Ella  Dee  Thraves,  Virginia,  1912-1918. 
Junkin,  Rev.  William  McCleery,  Virginia,  1892-1908.* 

Junkin,  Mrs.  William  McCleery,  nee  Mary  Deyburn,  Virginia,  1892-1908. 
Kestler,  Miss  Ethel  Ester,  North  Carolina,  1905- 
Knox,  Rev.  Robert,  Texas,  1907- 

Knox,  Mrs.  Robert,  n£e  Maie  Phila  Borden,  Texas,  1907- 
Dathrop,  Miss  Dillie  Ora,  Georgia,  1912- 
Deadingham,  Dr.  Roy  Samuel,  Iowa,  1912- 

Deadingham,  Mrs.  Roy  Samuel,  nee  Harriett  Ida  Pearce,  Douisiana, 
1912- 

Dinton,  Mr.  William  Alderman,  Georgia,  1912- 
McCallie,  Rev.  H.  Douglas,  Tennessee,  1907- 
McCallie,  Mrs.  H.  D.,  nee  Emily  Cordell,  Arkansas,  1907 
McCutchen,  Rev.  Duther  Oliver,  South  Carolina,  1902- 
McCutchen,  Mrs.  Duther  Oliver,  nee  Josephine  Cordelia  Hounshell,  Vir- 
ginia, 1909- 

McEachern,  Rev.  John,  North  Carolina,  1912- 
McMurphy,  Miss  Ada  Marietta,  Arkansas,  1912- 
McOueen,  Miss  Anna,  Norm  Carolina,  1910- 
Martin,  Miss  Julia  A.,  Missouri,  1908- 

iviattnews,  Miss  Estner  .Boswell,  North  Carolina,  1911- 
Newiand,  Rev.  neKoy  Tate,  Norm  Carolina,  1911- 

Newland,  Mrs.  DeKoy  rate,  nee  Sarah  Douise  Andrews,  North  Caro- 
lina, 1911- 

Nisbet,  Rev.  John  S'amuel,  Tennessee,  1907- 

Nisbet,  Mrs.  Jonn  Samuel,  nee  Anabel  Dee  Major,  Tennessee,  1907- 
Nolan,  Dr.  J.  W.,  Kentucky,  1904-1908. 

Owen,  Dr.  Clement  Carrington,  Virginia,  1898-1909.* 

Owen,  Mrs.  C.  C.,  nee  Georgiana  Wiyting,  M.  D.,  Massachusetts,  1900- 
Parker,  William  Peticolas,  Virginia,  1912- 

Parker,  Mrs.  William  P.,  nee  Harriet  Dillaway  Fitch,  Ohio,  1912- 
Parker,  Rev.  Joseph  Kenton,  Virginia,  1912-1914. 

Parker,  Mrs.  Joseph  K..  nee  Dydie  Sparrow,  North  Carolina,  1912-1914. 
Patterson,  Dr.  Jacob  Bruce,  Pennsylvania,  1910- 
Patterson,  Mrs.  Jacob  B.,  nee  Rosetta  Palmer  Crabbe,  Ohio,  1911- 
Pitts,  Miss  Daura  May,  North  Carolina,  1910-1911.* 

Pratt,  Rev.  Charles  H.,  Virginia,  1912-1918. 

Pratt,  Mrs.  Charles  H.,  nee  Pattie  Foster  Ward,  North  Carolina,  1912- 
1918. 

Preston,  Rev.  J.  Fairman,  South  Carolina,  1903- 

Preston,  Mrs.  J.  Fairman,  nee  Annie  Wiley,  North  Carolina,  1903- 

Rankin,  Miss  Nellie  B.,  Georgia,  1907-1911.* 

Reynolds,  Rev.  William  Davis,  Jr.,  Virginia,  1892- 

Reynolds,  Mrs.  William  D.,  Jr.,  n€e  Patsy  Bolling,  Virginia,  1892- 

Robertson,  Dr.  Moorman  Owen,  Oklahoma,  1915-1919. 

Robertson,  Mrs.  M.  O.,  nee  D’Mee  Lehmann,  Oklahoma,  1915-1919. 
Rogers,  Dr.  James  McDean,  Virginia,  1917- 

Rogers,  Mrs.  James  McDean,  n6e  Mary  Dunn  Ross,  North  Carolina, 
1917- 

Shepping,  Miss  Elizabeth  Johanna,  New  York,  1912- 
Straeffer,  Miss  F.  Rica,  Alabama,  1899-1908. 

Swinehart,  Mr.  Martin  Duther,  Indiana,  1911- 
Sfwinehart,  Mrs.  M.  D.,  n6e  Dois  Hawks,  Indiana,  1911- 


OUR  MISSIONARIES  IN  KOREA 


193 


Talmage,  Rev.  John  Van  Neste,  Louisiana,  1910- 

Talmage,  Mrs.  John  Van  Neste,  nGe  Eliza  Day  Emerson,  Louisiana, 
1910- 

Tate,  Rev.  Lewis  Boyd,  Missouri,  1892- 

Tate,  Mrs.  Lewis  B.,  nGe  Mattie  B.  Ingold,  M.  D..  North  Carolina.  1897- 

Tate,  Miss  Mattie  Samuel,  Missouri,  1892- 

Timmons,  Dr.  Henry  Loyala,  South  Carolina,  1912-1918. 

Timmons,  Mrs.  H.  L.  nGe  Laura  Louise  McKnight,  South  Carolina,  1912- 
Venable,  Mr.  William  Anderson,  Texas,  1908-1917. 

Venable,  Mrs.  William  A.,  nGe  Virginia  Flournoy  Jones,  Texas,  1909- 
1917. 

Walker,  Miss  Elizabeth,  Tennessee,  1919- 
Wilson,  Dr.  Robert  Man  ton,  Arkansas,  1908- 

Wilson,  Mrs.  Robert  M.,  nee  Bessie  L.  Knox,  North  Carolina,  1907- 
Wilson,  Rev.  Thomas  Edwin,  Arkansas,  1915-1917.* 

Winn,  Miss  Emily  Anderson,  Georgia,  1912- 
Winn,  Rev.  Samuel  Dwight,  Georgia,  1912- 


% 


Mrs.  Nisbet’s  Last  Message  to  the  Women  of 
our  Church. 

When  our  committee  asked  Mrs.  Nisbet,  in  the  fall 
of  1918,  to  write  a mission  study  book  about  our 
Korea  Mission,  they  little  dreamed  that  she  would 
be  called  to  her  reward  before  the  book  was  pub- 
lished. The  manuscript  came  into  our  hands  in  the 
fall  of  1919,  and  after  editorial  revision,  was  turned 
over  to  the  Committee  of  Publication  about  the  first 
of  January  of  this  year.  A few  days  later  the  news 
was  received  that  Mrs.  Nisbet  had  cancer,  and  that 
the  disease  had  already  progressed  so  far  as  to  make 
an  operation  impracticable.  Mrs.  Kisbet  died  on  the 
7th  of  March,  and  we  received  the  cable  announcing 
her  death  on  the  following  day,  too  late  to  make  any 
adequate  announcement  of  her  death  in  the  book 
itself. 

In  the  preface  the  author  says,  “I  forgot  I was 
writing  a book  as  I thought  how  you  had  held  the 
ropes  for  us  all  these  years  in  love  and  faith  and 
prayer,  and  had  made  possible  our  going  down  into 
the  dark  mines  of  superstition  and  demon  worship. 
Forgive  me  if  I forgot  the  editorial  ‘we’  and  just 
talked  out  my  heart  to  you,  for  indeed  you  seemed 
very  near  to  me.” 

Her  book,  which  is  published  under  the  title,  “Day 
In  and  Day  Out  in  Korea,”  is  therefore  really  her 
last  message  to  the  women  of  our  church  especially, 
and  to  the  church  as  a whole,  although  she  doubtless 
did  not  realize  this  when  she  wrote. 

March  25,  1920. 


Educational  Secretary. 


INDEX 


195 


3ni)ex 


Alby,  Miss  Libby  (Mrs.  W.  P. 
Bull),  27,  127. 

Allen,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Horace 
N.,  16,  71,  125. 

Alexander,  Dr.  A.  J.  A.,  59. 
Baptismal  Examination,  68. 

Bedinger,  Miss  Anna  Moore, 
187. 

Bell,  Rev.  Eugene,  32,  55,  65, 
83,  90,  127,  172,  188. 

Bible,  Japanese  exclusion  from 
schools,  128,  129. 

Bible  Society,  170,  171. 

Bible  Standards,  182,  183. 

Bible  Study,  94,  95,  97,  98,  172, 
173. 

Biggar,  Miss  Meta,  112. 
Birdman,  Dr.  F.  H.,  85,  89. 

Bolling,  Miss  Patsy  (Mrs.  W. 
D.  Reynolds),  17. 

Borden,  Miss  Maie  Phila  (Mrs. 
Robert  Knox),  85,  89. 

Buckland,  Miss  Sadie,  173. 
Buddhism,  102,  104. 

Bull,  Miss  Margaret  Whitaker 
(Mrs.  Eugene  Bell),  64,  188. 

Bull,  Rev.  W.  F.,  27. 
Catechumenate,  67. 


Chay,  Grandmother,  115,  116. 

“Chosen”  (Korea),  111. 

Chulla,  North  and  South  Chul- 
la  Provinces,  20;  Presbytery 
divided,  North  Chulla  Pres- 
bytery and  South  Chulla 
Presbytery,  130,  131. 

Chunju,  first  visit  to,  21;  re- 
turn to,  26;  first  baptisms, 
27,  37,  38;  medical  work, 
54;  statistics,  66;  school, 
127,  128;  personnel  changed, 
63,  87,  91,  97,  98. 

Church  Curtains,  115,  116. 

Church  Leaders,  170. 

Clark,  Rev.  Charles  Allen,  D. 
D.,  168. 

Coit,  Rev.  R.  T.,  112,  113,  115. 

Confucianism,  102,  103,  104. 

Cordell,  Miss  Emily,  85. 

Crane,  Rev.  Paul  Sackett,  188. 

Curiosity,  Korean,  23. 

Custom,  the  power  of,  35,  178, 
179. 

Daniel,  Dr.  Thomas  Henry,  60, 
123,  161,  173. 

Davis,  Miss  Linnie  (Mrs.  W. 
B.  Harrison),  17,  19,  26,  27, 
29,  63,  127. 

Demon  Worship,  106,  107. 


196 


INDEX 


Digest  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  168. 

Distribution  of  Scriptures, 
170. 

Drew,  Dr.  A.  D.,  25,  55,  59. 

Dunnington,  Miss  Sarah  Brice 
(Mrs.  T.  H.  Daniel),  60. 

Dupuy,  Miss  Lavalette,  112. 

Dysart,  Miss  Julia,  85,  95. 

Earle,  Rev.  A.  M.,  60,  85,  127. 

Educational  Work,  177-180. 

Ellen  Lavine  Graham  Hospi- 
tal, 123. 

Faith,  under  persecution,  139- 
145;  casting  off  old  customs 
and  ideas,  145-147;  sowing 
seed,  148-152;  under  tempta- 
tion, 152-154;  dealing  with 
little  things  of  daily  life, 
154-158;  through  prayer, 
158-164. 

Family  Control,  178. 

Federal  Council  (Korean),  77, 
78. 

Fisher,  Miss  Eunice  (Mrs.  A. 
M.  Earle),  85. 

Food,  Korean,  49. 

Foreign  Missions,  Korean,  131, 
132,  175. 

Forsythe,  Dr.  Wylie  Hamilton, 
63,  64,  183,  187. 

French  Memorial  Hospital, 
125. 

General  Assembly,  Korean, 
130. 


Generosity,  Korean,  80. 

Go-Between,  61. 

Graham,  Miss  Ella,  85,  95. 

Greer,  Miss  Anna  Lou,  112, 
123. 

Harrison,  Rev.  William  But- 
ler, 26,  28,  63,  127. 

Hawks,  Miss  Lois  (Mrs.  M.  L. 
Swinehart),  128. 

“Heathen”  Sunday  Schools, 
173. 

Home  Missions,  Korean,  131. 

Home  Society,  185. 

Houses,  Korean,  33;  An-Pang, 
or  women’s  quarters,  34; 
furnishing  of,  35. 

Hounshell,  Miss  Josephine 
(Mrs.  Luther  Oliver  Mc- 
Cutchen),  87,  97. 

Ingold,  Dr.  Mattie  (Mrs.  L.  B. 
Tate),  54,  59,  123,  172. 

Island  Work,  119-121,  123. 

Itineration,  47,  168,  169. 

Japanese  Immigration,  71. 

Jik-y,  47. 

Jin,  Chay  Choon,  84. 

Johnson,  Mr.  Cameron,  17,  18, 
19. 

Junkin,  Rev.  William  Mc- 
Cleery,  17,  18,  19,  20,  21,  27, 
55,  63,  71,  81,  84,  86,  87, 
127,  183. 

Kestler,  Miss  Ethel,  60,  123. 

Kija,  111,  112. 


INDEX 


Kil,  Mr.,  the  blind  preacher, 
79,  175. 

Kim,  Rev.  C.  G.,  28,  29,  131; 
the  church  starter,  46;  Y. 
S.,  65;  Y.  J.,  116, '117,  118; 
Rev.  P.  S.,  130,  172;  Mr.,  53. 
Knox,  Rev.  Robert,  85,  89. 
Knox,  Miss  Bessie  (Mrs.  R.  M. 

Wilson),  85,  89. 

Koo,  Old  Mother,  113,  114,  115. 
Korea  (Chosen),  111. 

Korean  Missions  and  division 
of  territory,  78. 

Kunsan,  station  opened,  26; 
medical  work,  54,  59,  60,  66; 
statistics,  89,  91;  school,  126, 
127,  128. 

Kwangju,  64,  65,  98;  school, 
127,  128. 

Language,  Korean,  58. 

Law,  Miss  Lucie  E.  (Mrs.  A. 
D.  Drew),  25. 

Leadingham,  Dr.  R.  S.,  123. 
Leyburn,  Miss  Mary  (Mrs.  W. 
M.  Junkin),  17,  27,  87,  126, 
127. 

Leprosy,  62;  leper  work,  126. 
Linton,  Mr.  William  Aider- 
man,  127. 

McCallie,  Rev.  H.  D.,  85,  89, 
120,  125. 

McCutchen,  Rev.  Luther  Oli- 
ver, 57,  88. 

McEachern,  Rev.  John,  157. 
McKnight,  Miss  Laura  Louise 
(Mrs.  H.  L.  Timmons),  112. 


197 

McMurphy,  Miss  Ada  Mariet- 
ta, 123. 

Major,  Miss  Anabel  (Mrs. 
John  Samuel  Nisbet),  85,  86. 

Manual  Training,  177,  178. 

Markets,  Korean,  51,  52. 

Marriage,  184. 

Martin,  Miss  Julia  A.,  95,  123. 

Mary  Baldwin  School,  127. 

Medical  Work,  123,  124,  125, 
126,  181,  182. 

Miller,  Mr.  Hugh,  90;  cheap 
gospel,  90*',  170. 

Million  Souls  Movement,  90. 

Mission  statistics,  92. 

Moffett,  Dr.  S.  A.,  51,  81,  82, 
95,  129,  144. 

Mokpo,  32,  55,  64,  66,  89,  127, 
128. 

Mother-in-law,  the,  35,  184, 
185. 

Myung,  Yun  Sik,  83. 

Nevius,  Dr.  John  L.,  94,  174. 

Nisbet,  Rev.  John  Samuel,  85, 
86,  104,  131,  156,  160,  161, 
189. 

Nolan,  Dr.  J.  W.,  86. 

North  Chulla,  20,  21,  97,  98, 
128,  130,  131,  134. 

Oh,  Dr.  K.  S.,  59,  129. 

Optimism,  Korean,  186. 

Owen,  Dr.  C.  C.,  32,  55,  65,  89, 
90,  113,  120. 

Parker,  Mr.  William  P.,  129, 
157. 


« - 


INDEX 


I98 

Patterson,  Dr.  J.  B.,  123. 

Pharmacopoeia,  61,  62. 

Pitts,  Miss  Laura  May,  159- 
164. 

Polygamy,  117,  118. 

Pratt,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Chas., 
112,  113. 

Prayer,  Korean  faith  in,  94. 

Presbyterian  Council,  20. 

Presbytery,  first  Korean,  82; 
'Chulla,  130,  131;  Missionary 
membership  in,  85. 

Preston,  Rev.  J.  F.,  64,  89,  90, 
112,  113,  120. 

Principles  of  work,  168. 

Protestant  Council,  77. 

Pyeng  Yang,  Seminary,  81; 
our  first  graduates,  83,  84, 
98,  129. 

Quelpart,  21,  82,  83,  131,  144, 
145,  176. 

Railroad,  Fusan-Seoul,  72, 
129. 

Rankin,  Miss  Nellie  B.,  85, 
127,  173. 

Reynolds,  Rev.  William  Davis, 
D.  D.,  17,  18,  19,  26,  27,  32, 
33,  37,  51,  81,  87,  89,  172. 

Rice  Planting,  183,  184. 

% 

Robertson,  Dr.  Moorman 
Owen,  123. 

Rogers,  Dr.  James  McLean, 
123. 


Rowland,  Miss  Katherine 
Whitehead  (Mrs.  Paul  Sack- 
ett  Crane),  188. 

Russo-Japanese  War,  results 
of,  71,  72,  73. 

Sabbath  Keeping,  182,  183. 

Salvation  Army,  English,  134. 

Schools,  126;  Kunsan  school, 
126;  Bible  excluded,  128; 
Union  school  work,  129,  177, 
178. 

Self-government,  175. 

Self-propagation,  174. 

Self-support,  174,  175. 

Severance  Medical  School,  129, 
180. 

Shamanism,  102,  104. 

Shepping,  Miss  Elise  J.,  129. 

Sin,  Mr.,  69;  preaching,  70. 

Smallpox,  62. 

Soo,  Kim  Pil,  84. 

Soonchun,  112,  113. 

South  Choong-chung,  our  field, 

20. 

Sou,th  Chulla,  our  field,  20, 
32,  98,  128,  130,  131. 

Sprue,  187. 

Su,  Mr.,  faith  through  prayer, 
158-164. 

Sunday  Schools,  173,  174. 

Straeffer,  Miss  F.  R.,  32,  86, 
127. 

Swinehart,  Mr.  M.  L.,  173. 

Tangun,  first  king  of  Korea, 

• 101,  111. 


INDEX 


199 


Tate,  Miss  Mattie  S.,  17,  21, 
23,  24,  84,  95,  97,  127,  150, 
151,  172. 

Tate,  Rev.  Lewis  Boyd,  17, 
20,  21,  24,  26,  27,  37,  69,  83, 
84,  88. 

Three  Beasts,  the,  189,  190. 

Timmons,  Dr.  H.  L.,  112. 

Tong-hak  Rebellion,  24,  25,  26. 

Tract  Society,  171. 

Translation  work,  32,  33. 

Travel,  Methods  of,  21,  168, 
169. 

U,  Mr.,  faith  casting  off  old 
customs  and  ideas,  145-147. 

Umini,  Chassubby,  faith  deal- 
ing with  little  things  of 
daily  life,  154-158. 

Underwood,  Rev.  Horace  G., 
D.  D.,  17,  18,  19,  32,  33,  51, 
95,  174;  John,  19. 

Union,  77. 

Venable,  Mr.  William  Ander- 
son, 127. 


Ward,  Miss  Pattie  Foster 
(Mrs.  Charles  H.  Pratt), 
112,  113. 

Whiting,  Miss  Georgiana,  M. 
D.  (Mrs.  C.  C.  Owen),  55. 

Wild  Animals,  181. 

Wiley,  Miss  Annie  (Mrs.  J.  F. 
Preston),  64,  89,  90,  112,  113. 

Wilson,  Dr.  R.  M.,  85,  123,  126. 

Witherspoon,  Miss  Lottie 
(Mrs.  Eugene  Bell),  32,  55. 

Women’s  Missionary  Socie- 
ties, 175,  176. 

Woods,  Miss  Cecile  (Mrs.  R. 
T.  Colt),  112. 

Yi,  Mrs.,  faith  sowing  seed, 
148,  152. 

Yi,  Mrs.  K.  P.,  faith  under  per- 
secution, 139-145. 

Yi,  Rev.  C.  I.,  faith  under 
temptation,  152-154. 

Yi,  Rev.  W.  P.,  131. 

Y.  M.  C.  A.,  93,  134. 

Yu,  Mrs.,  one  of  first  five  con- 
verts, 29-32. 

Yun,  Rev.  S.  M.,  131. 


Village  life,  51,  181. 


2715LH.  611 

02-05-08  32185  HC 


S-FGroup 


